Tomb of Time and Destiny: A Fairy Tail Fanfic
by NataliaRavenX
Summary: A tomb. Four Handprints. Four Girls. Four Warriors. Two Worlds. Collide. (Heavily based on one of my most favorite books ever! I do not own Fairy Tail or any Fairy Tail related Characters.) Ships: Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza, Gale/Gajevy
1. Chapter 1

**Levy POV**

We passed by new guards that arrived to fill in their shifts as we walked with our class. The sun was gaining, illuminating the top of the old half destroyed castle that sat in the east, not to far off from where we were.

I ignored my suddenly speeding heartbeat as we neared the tomb, the others right behind me. Long hours of studying and extra credit for this trip were about to pay off. Professor Gildart's had been clear that only the BEST of his students were going on this trip, and to be the best at something when it came to Gildart's spoke volumes. So, not to toot our own horns or anything but, it turns out that Erza, Lucy, Juvia, and I just happen to be the some of the best. (But I guess the extra credit did help some too)

We grinned at each other excitedly as the tour guide gave an elaborate description of what was inside the tombs. _'Ugh, who cares just let us in already!'_ I thought while shifting from foot to foot in anticipation.

This was a college archaeological trip, aside from getting to travel and getting to see amazing never before seen artwork of the past, an experience like this looked really good on a resume, it shows diversity. Plus, Lucy, Erza, and Juvia were all excited to go as well and there was no way I'd pass on an opportunity to travel with my best friends.

After what felt like centuries of endless talking- the guy really likes the sound of his own voice- he finally began to lead us in. Eagerly, I step forward, only to be tugged back sharply by Erza. "Come." She commands while dragging me away. _(As if I have a choice -.-)_

"B-but the tomb!" I exclaim."We worked so hard to come on this trip to see the tombs and ancient artifacts! They only recently found this tomb a month ago! We're the first of the public to see it! "

"Lucy found a something better."

"Better?! It usually takes more than a year for these people to clear the tombs for the public!! Do you have any idea how many strings Gildart's had to pull for this trip to even happen?! How could there be anything better?!" I practically shrieked.

Erza's grip on me loosened and she stopped dragging me long enough for me to reclaim my arm. She turns and flashes me a wicked grin that screams trouble.

"How about an undiscovered, never before opened tomb."

 **Lucy POV**

Pausing for a moment at the entrance of the tunnel, I took a deep breath, bent down, and crawled through the well hidden, practically invisible, entrance. "Glad I decided wear jeans today." I muttered as I dusted myself off. There was a dim light that illuminated the tomb from above, giving the place an almost angelic glow to it.

"Whoa..." Juvia said wide-eyed crawling in after me.

Yeah, _'Woah'_ was right. The guide had gone on and on about the other site our classmates were currently in, but there was no way it could rival this tomb. The colors were magnificent, some of the best we'd seen, if not THE best. Bright. And so many of them…. Men and women, black stick figures depicted feasts, hunts, battles.

I stared along one wall and then another, mouth agape, as Levy, the last and most reluctant of us came through the tunnel.

 **Juvia POV**

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Levy said, trailing off as she fully stands and takes in all the artwork.

Awestruck we stare the tomb and its priceless artifacts in silence, circling slowly. I'm careful not to brush against the wall or artifacts as I gaze around. A certain image almost immediately catches my attention. It was a portrait of four fierce warriors. One with ice shooting out of his hand, beside that one was one with fire pouring out of his mouth, below him there was one that seemed to be eating...metal? And the last one had meteors and stars around him. Each warrior had a sophisticated and intricate circle around them, each its own color. I gaped at it for a long time, mind whirling.

 _'Could it be... But that's impossible!'_

"Juvia has found something!" I whisper while pointing at the image. Lucy gasps loudly, visibly shaken by what she saw.

"W-what the?!" Levy stammered as she quietly approached the image, completely shocked.

"W-What is this?!" Erza uttered, her face completely blanche.

"What that over there?"

Tearing our eyes away from the image we look to the far right of the warriors to where Lucy was pointing, where there was an illustration of some sort, and dents in the walls. Approaching the corner we realize the illustrations are a star, a water droplet, a book, and armor and those dents beside each illustration were actually handprints.

Entranced, I unconsciously lifted my hand to the water print, from the corner of my eye I could see Erza doing the same with the armor image. It seemed familiar, somehow. Like I'd seen it before, even though I knew I hadn't. I vaguely hear Levy's sudden intake of breath.

"We could get in serious trouble for touching that!" Lucy hissed, striking me out of my daze. I immediately pull my hand back from handprint as if it burned me. The higher up's would kill us if they found out that we were touching anything in here! The oils from our skin and ancient paintings were never to meet; it was a cardinal rule at the sites. I knew this. We all knew this. But still, I couldn't resist.

"Erza!" Levy exclaimed, "Stop touching it! We worked too hard to be qualified go on this trip for it to be taken away from something this silly!"

But Erza seemed dazed and confused as she reluctantly removed her hand from the wall. She stared at her hand and then back at the wall while murmuring "It's a perfect match... and the wall... it's warm."

Levy's hazel eyes changed from that of anger to confusion. "Stone can't be warm. Especially not here."

"Maybe there's a hot spring on the other side." Lucy suggested.

"Thought of that. But I doesn't smell any sulfur, do you?" We all took a big whiff of the air. No, just your standard everyday tomb- with odors of water evaporated on old stone. "And it's just the handprint that's warm. This handprint that fits mine."

"Juvia agrees!" I say while nodding eagerly. "When Juvia touched her handprint it was also warm!"

I step back and look again to the prints on the wall again. The upper left one fit my hand and the one beside it fit Erza's, but the ones below it were a bit smaller. I reach over and touch then. They were normal temperature, the cool stone that you'd expect in places like this. "Hey, Lucy, Levy. Come here. These top prints fit Juvia's and Erza's hand, but the ones below them are too small." I glanced from the print to them. "You try it."

Lucy glanced at me and then toward the tomb entrance to my right. Lucy chewed on her lip nervously. "We came in here only to see and explore, not to contaminate ancient artifacts."

"Besides," Levy anxiously states. "What if we get caught?!"

"They don't even know about this place! Go on, try it. It's so weird, touching a handprint from someone who's been dead for a couple of thousand years." Erza reassured them, while reaching out to touch her print again.

I knew before their fingers were settled within the lines that it would fit as surely as the other print had fit mine.

"I thought you said this one was cold," Lucy said.

"Juvia did."

"It's-it's warm," Levy said in wonder.

"Your's too?" I frowned and leaned to put my hand on the print that fit mine again. "When Juvia touched it-"

My voice broke off because something odd was happening. The room was circling, slowly, on its own. The paintings on the wall stretching and distorting. The wall was getting warmer. I tried to tug my hand away, but it wouldn't budge.

We all cried out each others names in terror as the stone beneath our hands got hotter.

I looked up, to where the light was leaking through, but its was slowly dimming and brightening.

There was no sound. I couldn't even hear our yells any longer.

My mind raced. Handprints that fit our own. Heat where there should be cold. A room spinning, faster and faster about us. A tomb built three or four hundred years before Christ came to earth. Are we…

I glance up again. The light was brightening and dimming faster than ever before. We had to stop it.

I looked up again just as Erza did, making eye contact with her, silently telling her to get ready, since we couldn't speak. She nodded at me telling me she understood. I had to put my foot on the wall and yank with all my strength. I feel something snap as I break the connection, but I don't let that distract me as I wrap both arms around Lucy, Erza doing the same with Levy, yanking them back as we fall, but as my shoulder collides with the floor, I knew I didn't have her. My arms were empty. And so were Erza's.


	2. Chapter 2

**Erza's POV**

It was dark.

I groaned, rubbing my head, wondering if I'd hit it but lucky for me it felt okay. My hand had immediately ceased burning the moment I ripped it away from the wall. I blinked in confusion, hoping my vision would clear. I could hear someone breathing heavily to my left. "Juvia?" I ventured.

A got a grunt in response.

Relaxing a little with relief I pause to catch my breath. "Where is Levy? I know I had her when I fell back..."

"Juvia was certain she had Lucy as well..."

Our voices echoed around the chamber and quickly died out. Up top, there was no daylight. Had we passed out? Was it night already?

"Erza! What's that noise?" Juvia panicked.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Noise? I tilted my head slighly and that's when I detected other sounds, odd, muffled sounds, the sounds of men crying out, and alarming sounds like men screaming, the clang of metal against metal, and the roar of fire. Had Lucy and Levy brought in reinforcements?

"Levy?" I called while slowly getting up. "Lucy?!"

I must've hit my head hard. I looked up-willing my eyes to see stars, moonlight, anything! But I was met with only darkness.

"Hey!" I yelled upward. "Hey, we're in here!" All I could think was that the guys in charge had discovered the tomb, and set the perimeter off limits. That our class had lost temporary jurisdiction over the site and somehow had not noticed that we were not with them- or at least Juvia and I weren't- before it was set off limits. As for the warm handprint, Lucy's and Levy's disappearance, and the brightening and fading light from above… had no idea what that was all about.

We must've fainted or something.

I got to my feet and felt my way toward the corridor. "My apologies." I muttered, knowing that I was now spreading oil from my skin all along the wall. I brushed up against a smooth shape and gasped as I felt it give way, then crash to the floor.

"KKKYYYYYYAAAAAA!!!! WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?!" Juvia screamed while jumping on me, nearly toppling me over but I manage to stay upright.

"You remember those four urns near the entrance?" I say while shooting a glare at her. She giggles nervously and hops off me. "Well, let's just say there are three now." I finish, heartsick, thinking of the coming wrath of my teachers and the higher ups when they discovered what I'd done.

Juvia gasped. Never before had I damaged a site or artifact in any way, shape, or form. None of us ever had. But I'd gladly face their fury rather than be stuck in here. She facepalmed herself before pacing up and down the small cave.

"Well," Juvia tentatively said, trying to make light of the situation. "At least the urn helped us know where we are."

I nodded, not feeling any better.

And for sure, there was the curved stone that marked the entrance. I could see the outline of daylight around it as I neared. Only problem: It was plugged at the entrance with a large stone.

"Did they seal the tomb?!" Juvia exclaimed with a gasp, she quickly hurried over to the stone as she tried finding an opening to the other side.

"I don't know..." I whispered, trying to stay calm. I felt myself getting more irritated, time slowly passing by as I began to feel sickened in this muff cave.

I knelt and ran my fingers around the edge, considering options for removing it. The stone looked heavy, maybe six, seven hundred pounds.

I leaned my shoulder against it and pushed, grunting with effort. Even though I was taller and stronger than most women the stone barely moved, even with Juvia's help, and she was almost as strong as me, if not, as strong as me.

Huffing, I blow my bangs of of my face while shooting Juvia a questioning look.

She thins her lips in return and gives a small shake of her head. She began to bang her fists against the large rock as she began to scream as hard as she could, hoping for someone to hear her I believe. That or she just lost her mind… O.O

My response to her odd behaviour is interrupted by the odd sounds coming from the other side. Men: shouting, grunting.

 _ **"ICE MAKE-"**_

 _ **"HEAVENLY BODY-"**_

Our eyes widen in shock.

 _'What?! Is that?!…'_ I shoved the thought aside. _Impossible._

And the main thing we had to focus on right now was escape. "Hey! We're in here!" I shouted.

I could hear the pause in whatever was happening. "Levy? Lucy?!" Juvia yelled beside me. But then the sounds resumed.

"Oh, Mavis," I muttered. I maneuvered in the tunnel until my back and shoulders were against one side, and at an angle, I could press my feet against the stone, Juvia taking the same position beside me. We pushed and pushed so hard that our butts lifted from the ground. _'Almost...Almost…'_ I grunted, willing that stupid rock to move, move, _move_ … With a sound similar to that of a battle cry, Juvia and I gave the stone a powerful stomp. Perhaps a tab bit too powerful because it went flying as if it were a home run baseball.

Coughing, we shakily get up, waving away at the dust that was falling from the entrance and we cautiously peek outside.

 _..Oh..My..Mavis_

I took a quick glance over at Juvia, who seemed just as shocked as I was from the scenery in front of us. We slowly left the tomb as we stared down at an amazingly large field, in the mere back was a beautiful lake, and all sorts of trees were giving it all a little structure but I noticed something that could not miss my eye for one second…

Freaking…

Dinosaurs… (*-*)

My mouth fell wide open as Juvia began to run back inside, but I quickly grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back to my side. This had to be fake, because no way, that dinosaurs could be around this planet in this year! Juvia cried as she held onto my leg in fear, I shivered as well but my fear immediately grew more as I noticed 4 pair of eyes lurking at us from inside the tomb…

"Juvia…?" I whispered just loud enough for her to hear me, she looked up at me and noticed that I was looking at something in the back when I heard a loud growl.

"RUN!!" I cried as the eyes came closer real fast! Juvia jumped up and ran past me.

"HEY WAIT UP!" I yelled as I felt something following us close behind.

What was this madness?!?

"...za"

Huh?

"...rza!"

Is someone…..

"ERZA WAKE UP!!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Erza's POV**

I snap out of my daze as Juvia shakes me wildly by the shoulders. There were no dinosaurs, instead there appeared to be some sort of battle-scene reenactment going on, probably practice for a nearby live theatre?

 _'Okay Lucy, I promise I'll stop watching ridiculous Discovery Education shows.'_ I thought frantically as I watched the group of actors fight each other with freakishly real looking swords.

But those thoughts were dashed away when I saw a man block another man's sword strike with his own, then plunge a dagger into him with his other hand. Juvia gasped, too surprised to scream. The injured man fell to his knees, clutching the hilt of the knife, his mouth agape. Blood spread across his white shirt in a slowly seeping circle.

I was too shocked to make a sound. No theatre practice I'd seen had had special effects like that. With growing horror, I glanced to my right, where another man was writhing on the ground, groaning. My hand came to my mouth. His belly had been split open, and some of his intestines were bulging out. Blood spread across the ground in a wide pool.

"Erza...th-this is real!"

I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I was in the middle of a real battle.

A freaking sword battle.

Suddenly, I could smell the stink of sweat and coppery blood, all around me. Men were wounded or dying. Others seemed dead set on bringing the rest to the end of their lives. Juvia was struggling to breathe and grasp what was going on. I glanced left and saw that one guy wasn't battling any longer; instead, he stared at me as if I were a female Lazarus, emerging from the tomb in my grave clothes.

I wanted to look away from him...

But I couldn't.

He was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen, with a model's physique and a face to match. Big, serious brown eyes, blue hair, and an interesting tattoo on his right eye that was as red as my hair.

I'd never encountered such hotness.

It was then that I noticed the young man behind him, equal in height but a little narrower at the shoulders. His eyes were hard, shifting from me to the man before him. He raised his sword as if to strike. "Behind you!" I yelled.

I watched in horror as he turned around to face his opponent.

 _'What is he-'_

 _ **"HEAVENLY BODY MAGIC: METEOR!!!"**_

My mouth drops open as the same circle that surrounded the illustration of the man with stars and meteors back in the tomb, appeared in front of him. He is suddenly engulfed in a golden aura and rushes at his attacker at the speed of light, using his bare fists to land multiple blows, disarming his attacker instantly.

"It can't be… That's..Impossible!" I uttered in shock.

"Erza, look!" Juvia gasped out while shakily pointing at something in the distance.

The castle... The one that was on the next hill that had been such a disaster when we'd first arrived...

It was no longer in ruins...

The walls were erect, the tower intact. Purple flags waved from the battlements, in designs that matched the second knight's coat of arms, visible on his shield as he raised it to deflect the hot guys repeated blows.

"D-did we.."

"But t-that's impossible!"

I shook my head but the two small armies were still before me and that castle hadn't changed a bit. Those two groups fighting for what reason? My hand went to my head as I struggled to understand what was going on.

One of the purple knights whistled and shouted at two men nearby, gesturing toward us. The knight with the tattoo glanced over his shoulder and frowned, then shouted at his own men. Suddenly six knights were in a dead run, all heading in our direction.

Any other circumstance I would've been flattered that there was a group of men chasing after me, but I had a feeling these guys weren't in any hurry to ask for my number.

Juvia and I stood back to back unsure of what to do, but when the two groups met, they began to fight one another. My heart pounded, and I turned, intending to escape into the forest behind me with Juvia, but there was another knight- by the color of his tunic I could tell he was from the purple-flagged castle- steadily approaching us. He must have sneaked around the tomb, intending to surprise us. He rose from his crouch and smiled, as if this were some game, capturing us. I could hear the fighting continue behind me, a shout, a cry, as if another had been wounded.

The knight was coming closer. Juvia and I retreated until our backs hit up against the curved wall. I fought for an idea, an escape route out of this terrible nightmare. Desperately, I thought about dashing back into the tomb, but he'd be on us in a second. This was no dream; our attacker was real, leering, and scanning us. I reached down to grip the bottom of my hoodie- a nervous reflex of mine- only to realize, I wasn't wearing it.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?" I cried out. Beside me Juvia jumped, surprised by my yell, but quicky realizing the reason for my outburst.

"E-erza!!" She said in shock while staring at me.

I was wearing freaking armor.

ARMOR!!!!

 _'At east it's cute armor.'_ A small voice in the back of my mind said that sounded a lot like Lucy. I couldn't disagree. It wasn't full on body armor, it was just on my torso area and my arms. I was wearing a blue skirt that stopped about four inches above my knees and long black boots that ended about an inch below my knees.

I opened and closed my mouth in shock, probably looking like a fish on land. I turn to Juvia only to see her gawking at her own attire. She was no longer wearing her jeans and hoodie either. Instead, she was sporting a long blue dress that would've been quite modest, had it not been for the two long slits on the sides where her legs were. Around her waist was a simple brown belt and she was wearing brown thigh boots. She also had a very cute blue Russian-style hat that matched her dress perfectly.

 _'What the hell did that tomb do to us?!'_

My internal panic was interrupted by a low laugh. We whirl our attention back to our forgotten attacker. He is now close enough for me to see he had green eyes that matched his teeth.

He lifted his sword tip, studying me as it reached my throat. I stayed as still as possible. But it was hard. _'Calm down Erza, don't do it. Breathe. Figure a way out...'_

He asked me something but in a weird language that interrupted my thoughts and made me pause for a moment. Slowly, my mind translated. "Are you from Bellum?"

"...B-Bellum??" Juvia returned speaking hesitantly, testing the newfound language, frowning in confusion to my right.

"Bellum," he repeated. "I saw you. Both of you. I saw both of you come out of there. And your clothing…" He moved forward, changing the sword from tip to side at my throat in order to keep me in place, and allow him closer. He reached a hand up to my naturally scarlet red hair and looked at Juvia's equally natural azure hair. "Your hair. No one has such audacious hair colors. Are you Bellum or are you an evil witch?" He spat out witch as if it were a foul word.

"Juvia is no witch. Juvia is from-" Juvia clamps her lips shut. He wouldn't believe her even if she told him. "Look, you big jerk," She suddenly said in English, stomping her foot to show her frustration. "You don't want to know where we come from. It'd freak you out. It's freakin' Juvia out!" Juvia yelled at him as she moved her arms in a weird way making the man startled at her sudden behaviour.

He leaned back, as if surprised by her anger and confused by her odd language. But then he turned, sensing the man stealthily approaching him from behind. She had tried to distract him-had been moderately successful-but these men were trained soldiers. That was clear enough.

 _ **"ICEMAKE: LANCE!!!"**_

We had to get out of here.

I just witnessed ice shoot out of a man's hands straight at our assailant. ICE!!! Also, Juvia looks like she just met the love of her life. A hand clenches my forearm, and I tense and whirl around, ready to defend myself if necessary.

It was the guy that I had seen, he was no longer surrounded by that golden light. He's even more handsome up close, but his eyes were no longer soft in wonder. They were hard, staring at me in consternation. "Come," he said gruffly in their weird language.

I looked across the field and saw the purple knight, wounded, his arms draped around two of his men. He glared at Juvia, me and the knight beside me, then shouted. The man, our attacker, immediately broke away from the other knight with ice and retreated to join his comrades. My protector's knights let him pass, unhindered, other than sending him verbal taunts. The battle was over, for some reason. The others mounted their horses, all draped in violet, gave us long looks, and then rode away.

I looked to the men who now surrounded us, staring at us. We were now under the protection- or were we the prisoners?- of the dudes with the red coat of arms.

"Juvia hopes you're the good guys," she mutters behind me.

I hope that too….


	4. Chapter 4

**Juvia POV**

"Where are you taking us?" I asked in their weird language, scurrying to walk beside Erza as she wrenches her armored elbow from the blue haired mans grasp. "What was that- that _magic_ that came out of your hands!?" she demanded.

One of the men, the one that shot ice at our attacker, turned and eyed me and Erza, his eyes lingering on me for a heart-stopping moment before his handsome face contorts to a mass of confusion. "You've never heard of magic before?"

The other man continued before we could answer.

"What are you doing inside a tomb at this hour?"

Erza and I glance around nervously, noticing the two young men behind them. They were all in their late teens, possibly early twenties.

I tried to swallow but my mouth was dry.

"More importantly," stated one of the other men that stood behind them. "What are we going to do with them?"

"I don't know." The tattooed one frowned as he answered.

"How will we explain them everyone?"

"I do not know." The ice guy glanced at me again. "Who are you?"

Oh that's an easy one. _'Hi, Juvia's name is Juvia and Juvia comes_ _from the future!'_

Hmm….It might be dangerous to answer this truthfully. How else to explain our sudden weird arrival!? I glance at Erza and she nods.

There was only one way to play this.

Pulling back my shoulders, lifting my chin and summoning as much courage as possible I look him in his gorgeous onyx black eyes that draw me in and leave me breathl- AHEM- and tell him "Juvia is Juvia Lockser."

"And I am Erza Scarlet."

"And we are in search of our sisters." We finish together as if we planned this small speech out.

"Miss... Scarlet," the tattooed one said, "How is it that you have become separated from them?"

My mind ran through several believable situations but Erza came up with one quickly. "My sister and I came here searching for our sisters. They were traveling here, but they have not responded to our letters" - _'they couldn't even if they tried'_ I mentally added- "and we think something terrible has happened to them."

I silently congratulated her for her fast thinking. This way, if Lucy or Levy showed up, we'd have somewhat of a story. They might even help us find them!

"They traveled alone?"

We hesitated. It was obvious by his tone that that wouldn't have been very likely in his time. "With escorts, of course."

He frowned. "Their men were trustworthy?"

"Very much so." I replied.

One of the other knights, a pink-haired knight, gestured for the other soldiers to go ahead, leaving just the four of us alone.

"And your own men?" The ice guy pressed. "What became of them?"

I thought fast. "Disappeared in the night, with all our possessions."

"Your horses, too?" The tattooed one asked.

"Gone," Erza said. _Like they'd never existed._

"Blackguards," the tattooed one muttered under his breath. "If we come across them here, rest assured they will pay for their crimes."

We nodded, fighting back a smile. But he was still on a roll. "What are your sisters names? Perhaps we can assist you in finding them. What were you two doing inside that tomb anyway?"

I frowned. Where were Lucy and Levy anyways? Erza and I glance at each other. They had been there in the tomb with us; had they made it through this weird time travel thingy too? And if so, why weren't they there in the tomb with us?

"We…we were lost in the woods so we found shelter last night in the tomb. We must've fallen asleep… the sounds of your battle woke us." Erza mumbled loud enough for them to hear her.

"A tomb of the ancients is an odd place to shelter," the pink haired one said while approaching us, said, followed by a huge guy with interesting red eyes and ... piercings?

"It was dark," I returned. "We didn't know it to be a tomb."

"Good thing you didn't," he said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Or you might not have slept a wink. The ghosts might have kept you company all night." He lifted his eyebrow and grinned.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the guy. Was he trying to scare us? Or be our friend? Beside me, Erza scoffed.

"In any case, these woods are hardly the place for a woman to be roaming about." the iceman said. "Had you fallen into the hands of our enemies…" He inhaled and looked at away sharply.

Erza seemed a bit annoyed at his sexist remark but said nothing, much to my relief.

"Phantom Lord is hardly kind to strangers." Rumbled the tall red eyed one.

I noticed how the tattooed guy also glanced away as if remembering some other, tragic soul. A shiver ran down my back. The ice guy returned his dark, onyx eyes to me, and, somehow, I gained comfort.

"Forgive me. I've forgotten proper introductions. I am Gray Fullbuster," he said while tearing his eyes away from me. "And these are my brothers." He motions towards the tattooed one and the two other men.

"Natsu Dragneel." The pinkette says with a cheeky grin.

"Jellal Fernandes" The tattooed one states, glancing at me for a moment before looking back at a slightly blushing Erza.

 _'I'll have to ask about that later.'_

"Gajeel Redfox." Rumble the biggest one while crossing his arms over his chest.

We smile and nod politely at their introductions.

Gray put a boot on a large stone, and then let his eyes look us over from head to toe. I struggled not to try to hide myself, as if I were suddenly naked. Well, I definitely felt more naked in this dress with these two enormous slits down the sides! "You two are clearly not from around here. I've never seen a woman in armor or clothing as such. Is this common attire where you're from?"

"U-um, well, Juvia's not so sure about common, but it's not u-unusual..." I answered hesitantly, I mean, how the hell was I supposed I know?! Also, I didn't appreciate these four, staring at me like I was a cut of beef from the butcher. I could only imagine how Erza was feeling. They stood there regarding us quietly for a few more moments. They all looked like they wanted to bombard us with more questions but instead they decided to move away a few feet to discuss the battle.

Eager to avoid any more questions or probing looks, we wandered a bit away from them as they talked about the battle. Even with several fat oakes between us, I could feel Gray's curious gaze. Cheeks flaming, I turn away and stare at the castle in the distance. Of course I find the man of my dreams like, 600 years in the past.

Erza looks from my flaming cheeks to Gray and smirks smugly. Gritting my teeth in embarrassment and irritation I glance over at Jellal, who *cough* _just happened to be looking in her direction_ *cough* and grin wickedly in return when she timidly glances away.

 _'What is Juvia doing?! We don't have time to be fantasizing and teasing each other!!!We need to figure out a way to find Lucy and Levy and get back to our time!! Besides, I can always fantasize and make fun of Erza-san later'_

"Miss Scarlet and Miss Lockser," Jellal said, gesturing toward the clearing ahead. "Gajeel brought along mounts for you, we will assist you shortly."

We nod and walk ahead a bit towards the clearing. There, two large horses, one black and the other dark brown, eyed us warily. I smiled and approached the large black horse bringing my hand up a few inches from his nose and held it there, waiting for him to catch my scent. We **love** animals.

He stood there for a few moments, his dark eyes staring at me as if he could see into my soul. I was begining to think he was going to bite my hand, but instead he stepped forward so that my hand came in contact with his nose. I accidentally giggle when my horse nuzzles my cheek and snorts softly onto my neck. I pat his neck and run my fingers through his thick black mane. Glancing at Erza, I could see that she too had easily won over her horse as well. She was smiling brightly, stroking the bottom of the horses jaw, her forehead pressed against him. What the image even more lovely was that both Erza and the horse had their eyes closed. Not wanting to intrude on their moment, I turn my attention back to my own horse, who was now curiously sniffing my hat.

Suddenly, both our horses tense up and look towards the forest where we came from. Both my and Erza's horse nudge us to their side so that they're standing in front of us protectively. A few heartbeats later thundering footsteps are heard.

"JUVIA!!!"

"ERZA!!!"

"STAY AWAY FROM CASTOR AND POLLUX THEY'RE-!!"

Skidding to a halt, both Gray and Jellal find themselves nose to nose with our horses, who rudely snort in their faces and begin to advance forward, fully entending to trample them and anyone else who seemed like a threat to us.

"Pollux! Pollux!" I guessed his name as I scrambled forward, throwing myself in front of him. I must've been right because he immediately stopped be looked at me. "It's okay! It's just Gray! See!"

I move to the side slightly so he can see that it truly was Gray. I could see a flicker of recognition in his eyes before it melted into disinterest. _'Hmm guess he's not a big fan of Gray's'_ I thought with a chuckle as Pollux came closer and nuzzled my cheek once again.

"Castor you should know better." Erza lightly chided while stroking Castor's face lovingly, Castor seeming to enjoy every moment. Behind us, someone cleared their throat, prompting us to turn around and face their gawking faces. Erza and I glance at each other before looking back at them in confusion.

"I-is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong?! IS SOMETHING WRONG?!?!" Natsu yelled while pointing an accusatory finger at us. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG!!!! I TRY FOR YEARS TO WIN OVER THOSE TWO HORSES AND YOU TWO DO IT IN A MATTER OF SECONDS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY APPLE TREES I'VE FALLEN OUT OF?!"

Gray and Jellal we're much more civilized with their jaws hanging slack from shock. Jellal was the first to recover.

"H-how did you-" he motions at us and the horses. We blink at him and glance at the horses, who were lightly resting their heads on our shoulders.

Gray took a deep calming breath. "It's just that both Castor and Pollux have a reputation of being one of the most brutal horses in Fiore! And yet here they are nuzzling and sniffing you!"

Something flashed in his eyes amidst all the shock and wonder as he said that, but it was gone before I could figure out what it was.

 _'Fiore...? Juvia's not familiar with that name... Juvia better look at a map later'_

"We need to get moving," The large one, Gajeel, rumbled. "It's already dark."

Seeming to just realize it, they all move. Gajeel and Natsu to grab Gray, Jellal's and their own horses while Gray and Jellal move to help us mount our horses.

We waited for them to cup their hands so we could boost ourselves up- the way we did as kids to help each other (mostly Levy) to get a leg up over the horse, but instead, I find myself biting back a shriek as Gray took my waist in his hands and lifted me upward. Jellal doing the same for Erza.

Now, I'm no featherweight and neither is Erza (you should see the number of strawberry cakes she can eat), but they didn't even grunt with effort at all!

"Is everything alright?" he asked, studying my face.

I nodded while looking everywhere but at him, unable to come up with any reasonable excuse. I look at Erza with a slight tinge of panic.

 _'How are we supposed to ride without falling off?!'_

We weren't accustomed to riding side-saddle, and Pollux seemed to agree with me from the way he kept shifting from foot to foot, seeming to know he couldn't run full speed with me seated like this. If it weren't for Grays hands holding me in place I probably would have accidentally slid off.

 _'Grays hands holding me in place….'_

 **GRAYS.**

 **HANDS.**

 **ARE.**

 **HOLDING.**

 **ME.**

 **IN.**

 **PLACE.**

Seeming to realize it at the same time as I did, Gray's hands immediately leave my waist as if I burned him, his cold touch lingering. Face aflame, I take hold of the reins with one hand and shifted a little, trying to feel a bit less precarious. "Uh, G-Gray."

"Yes?" Gray said, not looking at me he mounted his horse.

"Juvia…uh, Juvia and Erza are accustomed to someone leading them. Usually our reins are tied to the leaders mount. Perhaps it is done differently here?" I fidget with the reins and don't look up, I felt rather than saw Erza's shoulders slump down in relief.

"Of course," he said in understatement, easing his horse over to mine. Jellal doing the same for Erza. Our horses tensed a bit when their horses came a bit too close for comfort, but we soothingly stroked their necks to calm them down.

Gray took the reins from me, and I took a deep breath. At least now I had two hands with which to grip the Pollux's mane and saddle. _'If Pollux and Castor are as ruthless as they say then how did they manage to get a saddle on them? They're probably just exaggerating, Juvia's never met a sweeter horse in her life.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Juvia POV**

Two guards looked down over the wall of the castle when we arrived, one with his thumbs hooked in a broad, leather belt. "Your spoils of war?" he called down.

Natsu grinned and glanced back at me and Erza, then upward again. "Open the gate already Elfman! I'm starving! Phantom Lord is home, attending their wounded."

"As I've heard. Well done. Well done! Those dogs will regret the day they divided from the manly house of Fairy Tail." He turned without further word, and slowly, the gate cranked open. I could hear the clank of thick metal chains.

As soon as we entered the clearing in the middle of the three walled courtyard, people streamed from the inner castle. At the front of the pack was a tiny gray-haired man and a girl with black hair in a white dress that stopped a bit above her knees with a large yellow belt around her waist, followed closely behind by another girl. The brunette glanced at me with narrowed eyes but immediately rushed to Gray's side and reached up to take his hand. "I am so relieved to see you return unharmed." She clutched her hand to her breast. The other girl taking up a similar position beside Jellal.

I glanced beside me at Erza. _'You're seeing this too right?'_

Reading my facial expression Erza nods, visibly trying to hold back a laugh.

"When the others returned, one badly wounded, I feared the worst." said Jellal's chick.

"I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." they continued.

I tried...I really did.. But it was impossible to keep a straight face after _that_. I leaned my head down, burying my face in Pollux's mane in an attempt to hide my laughter.

It was just so…. _corny_. Like one of those sappy overly romantic dramatic movies Levy made us watch sometimes. So, so extra.

Even Erza took up the same position as me, shoulders trembling in an effort to subdue her laughter. By the end of it we were totally breathless and on the verge of tears. Worried, our horses shifted from foot to foot, their hoofs noisily clanking on the stone floor of the courtyard. Luckily, the knights were too preoccupied with their ladies in waiting to notice.

Or so I thought.

Concerned, Gray and Jellal dismount and walk towards us almost immediately, not caring that our horses gave them a snort of warning.

"Are you alright Erza?"

"What's wrong Juvia? Are you feeling faint?"

Jerking up in surprise, we vigorously shake our heads no, still breathing heavily from our laughter a few moments ago. He furrows his brows at me, skeptical. I smile weakly at him to prove my point but he does nothing but grit his teeth as he watches Gajeel help me down from my saddle.

 _'Weird'_

I glance at Jellal, only to see him glaring at Natsu as he helps Erza down from her saddle. _'Very weird'_ I thought in confusion. Erza looked just as perplexed.

 **Erza POV**

"And who is this?" the black-haired girl asked, acting like she totally wasn't just completely ignored. She was about our age, and very pretty. Straight nose, wide, onyx black eyes, full lips. Gray's girlfriend, most likely. Behind her, her posse frowned in our direction, but quickly went all sweetness and light, portraying nothing but confidence and hospitality. All an act for the knights, I was sure. I could see it in their eyes. They didn't want us here.

Natsu had come over and lifted me down off the saddle as easily as Jellal had placed me in it. Did these guys have a weight room where they worked out or something? I shifted, struggling with the pain in my backside, already a bit saddle sore.

"Father," Jellal said, turning to me, "this is Erza Scarlet and Juvia Lockser."

"Miss Lockser and Miss Scarlet," another girl said, Jellal's chick I think, with a princess sort of nod.

"Are you on a journey?" Her condescending eyes flicked so quickly from my armor to Juvia's apparently unusual dress.

"Probably," I said, going for an easy approach. "We're in search of our sisters, we have not heard from them in some time."

"We?" she asked, looking over my shoulder, as if innocently expecting someone to appear.

Behind me, Juvia clears her throat.

"She and her sister were lost in the woods and awakened to find herself in the middle of our battle. They were nearly captured by a Phantom Lord knight." Gray replies.

"How frightful," Another girl says, bringing a hand to her throat.

"Very," I said with a little nod.

"We will, of course," the older man, said, "aid you in any way possible to reunite you with your family." His voice and eyes were so kind, I did a double take.

"Juvia thanks you," Juvia says, hesitantly. I frowned, embarrassed by all of the attention we were receiving.

More had gathered around us by this time. "Poor dear," said a beautiful white-haired woman. "No doubt you'd like a good bath and a decent meal. You must be famished."

Juvia and I straightened, when our stomach rumbled as if in response to the woman's offer. I'm sure they all heard it. A couple of them turned away, but not before I saw their smiles. _'Just open up and swallow me whole earth-san.'_

"Come then," the woman said, turning us around and ushering us across the clearing. "I'll get you settled into a room for the night."

"Thank you..." I hesitated. Had she said her name?

"My name's Mirajane Strauss, but most call me Mira here in the castle."

"You cook for all?" I said. There had to have been more than fifty people milling about.

She looked at me strangely for a moment, as if she didn't quite understand me, then quickly regained her expression of deference. "I oversee all aspects of keeping the castle in order, and feeding everyone within its walls, with the help of others. Perhaps it is different where you're from?"

"At times," Juvia mumbled. _'You have no idea'_

We walked by an open doorway that led to one of the castle's turrets, and I glimpsed a tall, thin man in a long, brown overcoat, staring at me. He said nothing, and Mira ignored him. Juvia and I glanced at each other nervously. His unblinking eyes gave me the creeps. Thoughts of the Phantom Lord knight asking me if I was a wizard returned along with the memory of Gray's ice and Jellal's sudden glowing speed...

The white-haired woman led us down a long, narrow, stone hallway, lit by a torch at the end. Even though it was the middle of day, the place was as dark as the inside of the tomb. We reached the end of the corridor, and Mira pulled a ring of keys from her waistband and slid one into the lock and opened the door.

"This'll be your room for the time being, your sisters room with be right across from here."

"Thank you." I said while stepping inside and surveying the room curiously. It was pretty nice, for whatever time period this was.

She gave us a gentle smile. "You have the stance of a warrior queen. Both of you."

And with that she left.

Juvia and I blinked at each other for a moment. _'Warrior queen? What does that even mean?'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Juvia POV**

Before Mira left she unlocked my room with a smile. "Everyone will be gathering shortly in the dining hall. Would you like me to escort you and your sister?"

"Not yet," I said. "Juvia…um…needs a moment."

"Of course." She nodded a little and exited.

I paced the floor, suddenly feeling on the border of insanity. What are we going to do? How long could we keep this up? And more importantly, _where in the world are Lucy and Levy?!_ Are they in danger? Did they get captured by the enemy? Phantom Lord, I think. I halted my pacing as fear seized me.

 _No,_ I thought as I turned an yanked my door open. _Juvia must believe that they are okay and that they're looking for us too._

Two strides laterI'm reaching up to knock on Erza's door just as she opens it in a hurry.

"Juvia." She says in relief. "I was just going to go looking for you."

"What are we going to do Erza? I said in English, stepping into her room. "What happened to our clothes? And what's up with this weird language and why can we suddenly speak it?! How are we going to get back? How are we going to find Levy and Lucy? Can we even get back without them?"

I hadn't even thought of that last part till now.

"Well, the time travel thing only worked when all of our hands were on the hand prints, so I would assume that to get back, all four of our presence is crucial. As for the rest of our fears…. I'm not so sure."

I swallow and look down.

"T-they use _magic_ Erza." I whisper.

"…. I know."

"That shouldn't be possible!" I said, mostly to myself. Erza nodded, deep in thought.

A silence hung in the air as we sat on the bed.

"Well," She said after a moment. "Right now our main focus is finding Levy and Lucy and ensuring their safety."

I nod. "In that case, we need to work on our story."

Erza blinked at me.

"We can't just tell people we come from, say, 600 years into the future and we're looking for our sisters whom we lost in a magical tomb! We need a backstory! Geography and family is everything to these people!"

Erza ran a hand down her face in frustration. "We need more ti-"

A gentle knock at the door made us jump. "Erza?"

Erza looked like a deer caught in headlights as Jellal deep voice rumbled from behind the door. I didn't miss the light blush in her cheeks or the miniscule shake in her voice when she answered "Yes?"

I gave her a _'You're so totally crushing in him'_ smirk and she glared at me.

"It's time to eat. Won't you and your sister join us? Gray and I will escort you."

Gray.

 _ **~Doki doki.~**_

A blush rose to my cheeks. _'What the hell was that?! Calm down Juvia! He's taken bacon! You aren't the type of girl to steal another girl's man!'_

I lightly slap my face and shake my head wildly.

"Of course, please give us a moment." Erza answered, shooting me the same look with a smug grin.

"I guess there was no way out of it." I muttered with a glare. Mira and now Gray and Jellal all seemed bent on our heading to dinner.

Erza nodded and moved to the door, flipped the latch, and opened it. They stood here, a slight smile on their lips. We smiled hesitantly at them as they escorted us.

"Can't quite tame your hair, can can you?" Gray said while looking to my hair, a gentle, teasing smile on his lips, trying to make conversation.

We passed a mirror he I could see that my hair was indeed a wind-blown mess. Curse these blue curls! If only I had Lucy's silky, blonde, straight hair. "Oh," I said in dismay.

"No," he said, looking suddenly remorseful. "I only meant to say…" He clamped his lips shut a moment, then, "It reminds me of how you looked when we found you. Two nymphs of the woods trapped in a tomb, just waiting to be set free."

I tried to swallow but found it difficult under his searching gaze. These guys were clearly intrigued. With us? Or just our weird story?

We moved down the corridor through to the courtyard. With this weird dress, my hair a mess, towers all around, and a couple of guards checking us out, I almost freaked out again, very aware of how far away home really was. But I managed to keep it together. Mostly.

"You two are the tallest women I've met."

Well, that was no surprise. That was something that was mentioned everywhere we went. Frankly, I'm surprised they just now said something.

"J-juvia thinks we are going to get that a lot."

"Yes, well, I rather like it. It's far easier to hold your arm than Ava's."

"Or Carmen's"

They said their names in a mumble, as if realizing too late, that their compliments to us was a dig at their girl.

We entered the Great Hall. There was a long table on a slightly elevated dais at the front of the room where Makarov, Gray's friends, Ava, Carmen, and their peeps, that tall, thin man, and a few others were already seated. All the men rose to their feet, looking in our direction. Some sort of old-fashioned chivalry? I could feel the heat of a blush climb my neck and cheeks, as well as the piercing cold of Ava's stare- along with the stares of girls who surrounded her, despite their gentle smiles. Below them, two tables stretched outward, each easily seating twenty. All the men at these tables also rose and looked our way.

Ava looked up at me sweetly as I took a seat across from her. "Miss Lockser, Miss Scarlet, I trust you are refreshed?" She glanced left and right, all wide-eyed and innocent. _Innocent Juvia's ass_. "We feared you had taken sick when you did not appear to dinner." Her glance moved to Gray, who was watching the exchange with interest, and held there. Yeah, right. You mean you hoped we'd gotten sick enough to die. You're not fooling me or Erza. Gray and Jellal left our side and walked around the table, then stood behind his chair.

"We are quite refreshed," Erza said. "Sorry for being late."

Makarov rose and gave us a smile. "Don't worry about it. You are here now."

I looked at my goblet an glanced at Erza. Nothing but wine to drink. No water. No juice. We had tried it before, but never had a whole glass. Erza tilted her head slightly an I nodded. We'd have to be careful. The last thing we needed was to get wasted and start yammering about modern medicine and space travel.

I took a tentative sip, analyzing the girl across from me. She wasn't the overly mean girl, she was the smarter, more dastardly popular girl who was always nice to your face and ripped you apart in the shadows. The one who managed to steal your boyfriend before you even realized she was a threat.

It was good that Lucy wasn't here. This kind of girl routinely destroyed my naive, artsy, trusting 'sis'. But me? Well, I'd never dealt with it personally, but I'd seen it before. Of course, I didn't want to take her on. There was no need. I'd be out of here soon enough. But if she thought she had me figured out, she had another thought coming. "So…Ava. Please, tell Juvia about yourself. Where did you obtain such a fine, amazing dress?"

I'll admit, her dress wasn't really my style, but her friend, Carmen I think, smiled, obviously pleased by my compliments, and I sensed a bit of a thaw, but I didn't get the same vibe from Miss FancyPants. She answered my question as Gray carved a slice of chicken for each of us. But while words were emanating from her rosebud lips, her eyes were fastened on me, considering me, considering her next move. Like chess players. I suddenly had the desire to take her on at a chess table. Knights and queens and horses on a table before me while I was literally surrounded by real knights and horses. How many people could say that? Ha!

But as much as we had to keep an eye on the cat with her claws barely concealed across from me, we were drawn into the banter of Natsu and Gajeel to our left, and across from them, Makarov and a sickly looking young man to his left. The young man, whom I guessed to be about twenty, looked at me and gave me a small smile and a nod. Had we been introduced? He seemed so familiar, and yet not. I could have sworn he hadn't been there when I arrived.

Jellal saw the direction I was looking and stood. "Juvia, Erza, may I present my cousin Simon."

"Miss Lockser, Miss Scarlet, welcome," he said tiredly, but there was kindness and warmth in his eyes.

I felt Ava and her girl's bristle across from me. Oh, I get it. They didn't want us to hook up with any of the boys here. Gray made other introductions, to Ava and Carmen's ladies-in-waiting, the other knights, to Bora, the tall, thin man I'd seen earlier. Gradually, I learned that he was Ava's father's trusted man, here to escort his charge and watch over her. Was it my imagination, or did the man look at me like us like we were the worst sort of nuisance?

"Miss Lockser, tell us of your sisters," Makarov said, interrupting my thoughts. "Perhaps one of our people has come across her today."

"Your knights were rather occupied, Father," Gray said. Was there an edge to his voice? I glanced between him, his brothers, and his father, trying to figure out the dynamics there.

"Yes, and you all saw it through in fine fashion," he said, like he really couldn't care less. He turned back to me. "Miss Juvia and Scarlet, your sister? Describe them for us."

I thought back. She'd been wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but lord knows if the tomb changed their clothes too... Best to steer clear of the clothing. "They're quite a bit shorter than both Juvia and Erza-"

"Thank the heavens," Ava said, giggling. "How might we deal with four women so tall?"

I sent a fake smile in her direction and went on. "Especially Levy, she only comes up to Juvia's shoulder." I chuckle lightly as I say it.

Erza continued "Levy has short blue hair, a few shades lighter than Juvia's and Lucy has long, blonde hair-"

"Blonde?" Natsu repeated, clearly surprised.

"Gold. The color of straw, long and straight. They have brown eyes. They're both quite cute."

Natsu rose, dragging Gajeel up with him. "Permission to go in immediate search of these young maidens, sir," he said.

The other knights erupted in laughter. In front of us, two girls of Ava's posse bristled.

Jellal smiled but then waved them down. "They were not there when we found them. You know that as well as I."

"Unless Phantom Lord somehow spirited them off," said Gajeel lowly.

We looked down the table at him, alarm gathering in my chest. He was not joking.

Gray met my eyes and shook his head slightly. "She was not there. I swear it upon my grave."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn't back at the tomb, I told myself. I didn't leave her behind. There was no doubt in Gray's mind.

Still, doubt lingered. "Could we… could we go in the morning? To be certain? I mean, we became separated. Maybe they took another path, and even now, are there, trying to find shelter for the night." Erza asked.

"With castles within view? Why not beg shelter from us or even Phantom Lord?" Carmen said, her voice ringing with the echo of judgment. "Assuming she knows nothing of them, of course," she quickly amended.

"This is a new land for us, far from home," I said. "We were so lost, we became fearful of trusting anyone."

"Logical," Gray said, stabbing his chicken with his knife and placing it in his mouth.

I stared at him for a moment and then looked down to my own utensils. Only a knife. Well, this'll be tricky…. The Pre-Fork Era.

"Tell us," Makarov said. "Where are you from?"

Several people nearby leaned in, studying us.

I glanced at Erza an swallowed. We hadn't figured that much out of our story.

"Enough," Gray said. "Father, she is our guest."

"A guest we know precious little about. They could easily be a spy for Phantom Lord oreven witches. Their hair color is not normal and their clothes are unusual."

I'm sure our faces showed our surprise and confusion. They thought we were spies or... _witches_?

I mean, the spy thing I guess could understand, but witches?!

"Juvia fears Juvia's sisters are in grave danger," I said. "If Phantom Lord is as dangerous as it seems, Juvia and Erza need to redouble their efforts to make certain they haven't fallen captive to them."

Ava coughed. Did I imagine that she muttered something about wishing we had both gone to Phantom Lord?

Beside me, Erza twitched slightly. She did not take well to people speaking ill of her friends. I tapped her knee twice in a discrete warning. _'Calm down Erza, not worth it.'_

Jellal shook his head. "I don't believe they're witches. You should have seen their faces of shock when they witnessed our usage of magic! It is obviously unknown to them."

"And I don't detect any magic energy emanating from them." Natsu said while sniffing in our direction.

"Do you really think that we'd bring them if here was the slightest doubt in our mind?" Gray asked him. Makarov silently stared at us before nodding, trusting his sons judgement.

"Sir, we ask for your aid," Erza says, setting down her knife. "Might your men help us search for our sisters, come morning? We won't be able to sleep, we're very worried."

The tall, thin Bora leaned forward, weaving his fingers together and studying us with clever eyes, but Erza's eyes never left Makarov's. "You have our word that once we find them we will return home! It will be as if we never crossed paths"

Makarov regards silently for a few moments as if sizing us up. "Where did you say you were from?"

I could read straight through Erza's stoic face and could see that she was panicking internally.

"Juvia and her sisters are from Bellum." I blurted out. _Bellum_. That knight from Phantom Lord asked us if we were from Bellum or if we were witches. Clearly, a witch was not a good thing to be, and our limited knowledge of the land leaves us with no choice. I can only hope this doesn't end up condemning us.

" _Bellum_?!" Jellal said shocked. "That's quite a ways from here!"

Makarov harshly stared both me and Erza down, analyzing us for lies or deception, before nodding slowly as if being from Bellum suddenly explained a lot about us.

"We'll aid you in your quest." Makarov said after a moment. "Take your rest. In the morning, our men will set out and report to you come evening. They are most thorough."

"Juvia begs you to allow us to join them in searching for our sisters."

Makarov's face twisted in astonishment at my request. Then, after a breath, Simon leaned over and whispered in his ear. Makarov straightened and looked hard at us. "I had heard Bellum women were quite audacious, but I did not think so much so... I grant you permission, even though I believe it foolhardy. Be advised that while my sons and his men won the day, it was but one battle in a long war with our neighbors. I can promise no rescue if you are captured. Or, indeed, if your sisters are already in their foul hands."

"We understand." Erza said with a nod. "Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Juvia POV**

We quickly stood and fled the room. As I shut the heavy door, I heard conversation erupt around all three tables. It didn't matter if they gossiped about us, the important part was that we'd set off tomorrow, in search of Lucy and Levy. That was, if I didn't wake up from this dream before then.

We were nearly across the courtyard when someone took my arm and whirled me around. Hearing my gasp, Erza immediately turns and slams her fist down on the arm of my apprehender.

"Good mother of Zeref, calm down woman!" Gray cried out while rubbing his lower arm. He was definitely going to get a bruise. "Do most Bellum women have such remarkable strength?!"

"Gray?! What is it? You scared Juvia!"

He grimaced as if sorry, instantly dropping his hand. "What do you think you are doing? Going back to those woods again is crazy. My father isn't kidding when he speaks of the danger of Phantom Lord."

"And we relieved him-and you-of any responsibility. We fully comprehend your warning." Erza said with an impatient tap of her feet.

We turned and resumed walking, leaving him behind us, but he hurried ahead and faced me, halting me again, thus halting Erza. He was even more frightfully handsome in the deep shadows, torchlight upon one side of his face. "Perhaps it's different among the Bellums. These people, Phantom Lord"-he spit out the name like it burned his mouth with poison-"are unscrupulous."

"Again, Juvia understands your warning. It is Juvia's life Gray. Allow Juvia to live it as Juvia sees fit."

"But that is just it! I endeavor to aid you in living it."

I studied him for a long moment. He ran his hand through his spiky hair. Who died and made him our guardian? Sheesh, I was all for the chivalrous knight thing, but this was getting to be a bit much….

"Miss Lockser, Miss Scarlet we will make far better time without you," he said carefully, dragging his eyes away from mine for a moment to glance at Erza.

So it was our lousy sidesaddle technique that made him hesitate. I almost laughed aloud.

"We will do better tomorrow." Erza said with a hidden grin and a wave of her hand.

"Will you will send someone to awaken us?"

"I cannot promise that," he said with a small shake of his head. It wasn't that he didn't think he could find anyone up to the task, I decided. He intended to use our weariness against us.

"Fine. Juvia and Erza will be in the courtyard at sunrise," I said, stepping forward to tap him on the chest. "With or without your help."

With that, I turned and rushed the remaining steps across the courtyard and through the door, Erza hot on my heels. She lets it slam behind her, then we both faced each other.

"...So.. Bellum, huh?" she said after a thoughtful moment. "Fast thinking."

"Thank you. Juvia just hopes no one nearby is familiar with the place and begins to ask questions."

Erza leaned back on the door in exhaustion and nodded. "Let's get some rest, we're gonna need it for tomorrow."

I nodded and walked to my new bedroom, hoping the mattresses weren't too uncomfortable in this time period.

 **Erza POV**

A rooster crowed somewhere, but I couldn't find the energy to open my eyes. Fingers splayed, I ran my hands across the covers and groaned. ' _Why the hell is there a rooster so close to an archaeological discovery?!'_

I threw back the rough woolen weave of my blankets and sat up rubbing my face. Slowly, I allowed my eyes to blink open. I full on panicked for a moment, not recognizing where in Mavis's name I was.

Then it hit me.

I was still there. Or then. I was still in the past. Lost in time. I shook my head, hands on my mouth, and looked over to the window, where the sky was stained with the deep purple of dawn.

Someone knocked at my door, and I jumped, my hands immediately running through my hair. Was it Gray, here to wake us up for the search? I went to the door and opened it a crack. It was Mira, she arrived with a pitcher of water in a basin. "For your morning washing." she said with a smile, lifting them when she saw my hesitation.

So he isn't as bent on leaving us- or rather Juvia - behind as he pretended. (As if I didn't notice how he just couldn't seem keep his eyes off her)

I opened the door wider and she set down the basin, lifted the pitcher nestled inside, and poured the cool water for me to wash. "You a your sister remind me of Gray's mother. She, too, was uncommonly tall."

Gray's mother, also Jellals mother. I paused, wondering if it was wise to ask, then, "What happened to her?"

Mira was silent for so long I thought she was going to ignore my question.

"She was killed."

My eyes widened in shock. I was expecting her to die of natural causes, sickness, or even childbirth! But murder?!

"Was it- was it Phantom Lord's doing?" I hesitantly ask.

"Unfortunately not, I'm afraid she was killed by a witch. Probably jealous of her beauty."

"A-a Witch?" I said in slight confusion. Over and over again that word witch came up.

"Mmhm! Witches are extremely rare beings that possess magical energy."

"So, doesn't that make Jellal and his brothers witches?"

"Oh, no!" She said with a good hearty laugh. "Jellal and his brothers are wizards, also extremely rare but not as much as a witch."

"If they both possess m-magical energy what is the difference between a witch and a wizard?"

All humor was devoid of her face as she said "Witches are evil and are always women. It was long determined that magical energy in women was dangerous because if it didn't kill them, it drove them evilly insane. That is why if a witch is spotted, she is to be reported or killed on sight."

My mouth ran dry. "H-has there ever been a-a good witch?" I asked just as she opened the door to leave.

Something flickered in her eyes for a moment, then it was gone.

"...Never." And with that she closed the door, leaving me alone with all that information.

On my bed there was a ceramic plate with a round loaf, an apple and small wedge of cheese atop it. She must of set it down without my realizing it.

I tore the small loaf in half and eagerly bit into it. It felt odd having the girl wait on me. She was nearly my age. I grabbed the apple and put it in my pocket. I also grabbed the other half of the bread, stuffed the wedge of cheese into it and strode out the door. Outside, Juvia was waiting for me. She smiled with relief when she saw me.

"Morning Erza," she said in English as a made our way down to the great hall. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as you can on a, what? 14th century-ish mattress?"

Juvia chuckled lightly at my answer and tried to elbow me.

"Ow." She pouted when she came in contact with my armored ribs. "I forgot you were wearing that."

The men were filing out of the Great Hall, led by the Makarov, whose frown said he clearly disapproved of our presence, even though he had given us permission to join them.

I caught sight of Carmen and the rest of her girls then, trailing after Jellal and the others, true ladies in-waiting at their sides. Apparently they wanted their men to be thinking of them as they left the castle. (Insert a very unladylike snort here)

She paused when she saw us, then hurried over to me followed by Ava. "Surely you don't truly intend to ride with the men. You'll just slow them down."

"And then, so I will," I said brusquely. It was too early in the morning to think about what the perfect response would be.

"It is not good for a lady's reputation," Ava said lowly, turning to face us and keeping her voice down. She touched Juvia's arm. "To travel alone, with a company of men. Please, take care."

We looked down at her at an angle and tried to don an expression that said we cared, at least a little bit. "Come with us, then, if you care to guard our reputation."

Their eyebrows lifted in surprise, and they actually took a partial step away from us, much to my amusement. "No," Carmen said. "I think not. I enjoy a ride now and then. But anything that smells of danger- no, I'll leave that to my fiance."

We grinned and couldn't resist waggling our eyebrows. "Then, that is where we're different. We enjoy a bit of adventure. Good day, Miss Ava and Miss Carmen."

We strode away from them, barely able to control our grins.We discreetly high fived each other as we moved across the courtyard. Both Jellal's and Gray caught sight of us, "We ask you again… please, remain here today."

We took several steps past them and then I looked back over my shoulder. "Where are our mounts?" I was hoping and praying that they would bring us Castor and Pollux. I don't know why we felt such a strong connection to those horses.

Jellal shook his head and strode ahead, clearly irritated. But after a few steps, he waved to the groomsmen. A shout was heard, one of surprised pain, and then out came Castor and Pollux, groomsmen-less.

Our eyes lit up as they eagerly approached us, but it quickly melted into a frown when we noticed the piece of clothing hanging between their teeth. Castor trotted up to me and pressed his head on mine. I closed my eyes and stroked him lightly, unable to fight the smile forming on my face.

"Castor!" I lightly chided once I pulled away, waving my finger in his face to show that I was serious. "Look what you did to that poor man's shirt! It's all ruined now!"

"Pollux, what did Juvia say about being rude." Juvia said beside me, but Pollux merely lifted her hat a bit off her head before plopping back down Juvia's head messily, lightly tousling her hair in the process. Juvia sighed and turned to the groomsman with the shredded sleeve.

"Juvia shall fix your shirt when she returns." she says, bowing slightly at the waist with her right hand over heart. Then she straightened and gave him a reassuring smile.

The groomsman looked helpless, not certain how to react to someone bowing to him with such respect. He was probably more accustomed to doing the bowing. Also, Juvia giving him that breathtaking smile of hers afterwards didn't help matters either. The poor man was a stuttering fool, his entire face and neck flushing deep red.

Well, I can't blame him, Juvia did have a breathtaking- and I mean breathtaking- smile. But what made it breathtaking wasn't her smile itself, it was her eyes. Juvia had such blue eyes that were a bright sky blue when she was happy or a dark ocean blue when she was serious, and when she smiled they just seemed to sparkle and light up, immediately illuminating anyone's day.

An annoyed looking Gray told the groomsman he was excused for the third time and the groomsman, who had forgotten Gray was there, quickly scurried away. Juvia watched the encounter with a confused glance at me. I shrugged my shoulders as I continued petting Castor. _'Beats me.'_

Behind me, Jellal's clears his throat. I turn around to face him and he stared at me as if hoping I would change my mind about going at the last second. ' _Yeah well, you can give up on that idea hot stuff,'_ I thought, determined to win this stare down. As tall as I was, I still had to tilt my head a teeny bit to meet his eyes.

He stared for a few more moments before realizing that I wasn't going to back down. He closed his eyes as pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh. I grinned triumphantly, but was victory was cut short when he, once again, unexpectedly grabbed my waist and lifted me up. I nearly shrieked by the action and gripped his forearms in a death grip. **'NDDMDFEINHJ-WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS GUY EAT?!?! HOW CAN HE DO THIS SO EFFORTLESSLY?!?! MY BODY IS FLIPPING 5' 10 OF PURE MUSCLE AND STRAWBERRY CAKE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!!'**

He gently set me down on Castor and his eyes searched mine as if reading my thoughts, and my heart skipped a beat. I slowly released him from my death grip and took a deep breath, trying to steady it. He cocked his eyebrow questioningly. "You seem to freak out everytime you are lifted onto a saddle, is horseback riding new to you?"

"N-no," I say while looking anywhere but at him. "I am just not used to being lifted in such a manner onto a horse." My eyes settle on Natsu, who was yelling something about being fired up. I smiled a bit, he was like a child.

An awkward silence hung in the air to the point where Castor shifted from one hoof to the other, eager to get moving. "U-um shall we?" I stuttered. ' _WAH, WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?! I'M ERZA SCARLET!!!! I DON'T STUTTER'_

"Indeed," he said, thinning his lips and turning away sharply. ' _Eh? Is it something I said?'_ I glanced over at Carmen, and she looked away, as if she wasn't watching it all play out.

I took the reins more firmly in hand and tried to find the proper seating in the saddle. I felt like I was going to slide out of it at any moment. The gates opened. The six men circled their mounts and headed out, three ahead of Juvia and I, three behind.

 _'Lucy, Levy,'_ I thought. _'We're coming. Please be okay. Please, please be okay. Please be there. We can't do this alone….'_


	8. Chapter 8

**Erza**

Two hours later, We pulled off the trail in a small clearing, beside a boulder, and allowed the three men behind us to thunder past. I slid down off the horrible saddle and turned back to the Castor, Juvia doing the same. Throughout the entire ride I could feel that Castor was itching to sprint full speed with me, but he knew he couldn't when I was on that stupid sidesaddle.

"Sorry buddy," I sighed in english while stroking him.

"It's a shame we can't just ditch the side saddles." Juvia muttered.

I blinked. "Who says we can't?"

Juvia looked at me in surprise, before cracking a grin. "We Bellum women are audacious aren't we? Let's show them just how audacious we can be"

I eagerly turn back to Castor and grab hold of the leather strap, unhooking the first buckle, then the second, sliding the saddle from Castor, Juvia doing the same to Pollux.

I heard the men shout, come to a halt, and then turn back.

Jellal began turning to us, "We shouldn't stay here for much longer. This hill is Phantom Lord territory at the mo- what are our doing?."

I couldn't help but grin wickedly. "We're going to show you," I said, heaving the saddle behind the boulder and covering it with a huge, fallen branch, "how we ride in Bellum."

"You can't do that-"

"We are holding you back, right?" Juvia said, Pollux's reins still in her hand. "Admit it. Juvia and Erza are holding you back."

He returned glanced at Juvia, then back to me. "Yes, you are holding us back. As we told you you would."

"Well, we can fix that," we said at the same time, turning away from him so we could place both hands on the backs of our horses. We began to count, bouncing on our feet a little to gain momentum on each count.

"One,"

"Two,"

"What do you mea-"

"Three!"

With a mighty push, Juvia and I lift ourselves over our horses while simultaneously throwing our right leg over their back, leaving Jellal with his mouth hanging open in shock. Normally, his was a difficult maneuver to pull off, but Juvia and I made it look easy.

"Now, we can ride," I said, unable to hide my smile. I squeezed Castors flanks with my heels, and we leaped forward.

I allowed my grin to spread and Juvia could not resist her laughter as we passed the other men, their mouths agape. This is how we were taught to ride-without a saddle at all. It felt familiar, comfortable.

' _Yeah, you boys have never seen anyone like us. You know it. I know it. Wait until you get a load of all four of us together.'_ The very idea of it made me laugh out loud.

I leaned close to Castors ear, "Take me to where we first met." I whispered, somehow certain that he would understand.

"Erza," I look to my left to see Jellal who had caught up with us. "Slow down, the others need to catch up." Looks like Castor and Pollux are faster, if not the fastest, horses here.

I pulled on the reins, bringing Castor down to a trot and then to a complete halt, Juvia copying my movement. Surprised, Jellal passed us and then turned around, pulling to a halt in front of me.

' _What? He thought I wouldn't be able to stop? What does he take me for? An idiot?'_

He arms crossed casually in front of him, regarding me with new, curious eyes. "So that is how Bellum women ride?"

"Better than that silly saddle," I said, jutting out my chin.

The other men arrived then, surrounding us, averting their eyes from my bare thighs due to my hitched skirt and Juvia's bare legs.

"Are we near the tombs?" Juvia pressed. "Where you found us?"

"They are over there," Gray said, pointing straight ahead. I noticed how Gray struggled to swallow when he accidentally glanced down at Juvia's legs. ' _Huehuehue'_

"You really think we shall find your sisters among the tombs, like we found you?" Natsu asked.

I shrugged. "It's as good a guess as any, right?"

Jellal remained where he was, still staring at me.

' _Oh my gosh, could he be a little less hot? He belonged in some teen-girl magazine. Movies. Book cove- WAAH STAY ON TASK ERZA!!'_

"Well, come along then," he said, nudging his horse forward. I took my original place, beside Juvia in between the two groups three. We surged ahead at a far faster pace than the morning's, then abruptly swerved right on another narrow road.

We hadn't gone a quarter mile when all of a sudden both Castor and Pollux stopped an refused to move forward.

"What's wrong Pollux?" Juvia gently asked. Pollux merely whinnied and shook his mane.

"Come on Castor." I said nudging him lightly with my heel, but Castor just trotted lightly in place, refusing to take another step forward.

Sensing that we weren't behind them anymore, Jellal, Gray, and the other rider in front of us stopped as well. Frowning Jellal looks at Castor, then motions at Gajeel, Natsu and the other guy behind us to scout ahead. I frowned in confusion but I didn't question anything. Castor and Pollux have done nothing but protect us so there must've been a reason for their behavior. The three men divided and surged past, then turned around and headed back toward us.

It was then that I saw them. Phantom Lord men. There had to be at least fifteen of them. They shrieked a war cry and bent lower, seemingly moving in slow motion. Jellal paused beside me as everyone else but Gray took off, in flight.

"Erza, you and your sister must ride hard," he said urgently, his blue eyebrows lowered in urgency. "Faster than ever before. Gray and I will guard you both from behind."

I nodded and wheeled my horse around, biting my lip as I dug my heel into Castor's sides. He gave us a head start before he began to follow, keeping himself between us and our pursuers. Where had the others gone?

Just as I finished that thought, we raced past both Gajeel and Natsu, who both looked ready for a brawl based on their grinning faces. I glanced over my shoulder at Jellal and glimpsed a trace of a smile on his lips. Thirty paces farther, when we met the final two men, they pulled ahead of us, then reached over to grab our reins, slowing us down to a halt. Then they quickly dismounted and pulled us off our horses and hid us behind a massive limestone boulder.

"Please remain here." One of them said before going back to his mount, grabbing a large sack and tossing it behind the boulder where we were, probably to make the horse lighter.

I swallowed as I heard the pounding of hoofbeats approaching, the sound of roaring fire and metal clanging. The cry of one man, the guttural groan of another.

They stood a few feet away, swords unsheathed. A sort of, final line of defense for us. Surely enough, a few moments later arrived four Phantom Lord men and they immediately clashed with two of them, striking and parrying blows repeatedly. The other two unmounted and began to look around near the boulder where we were hidden.

"No!" Grounded out one of Jellal's men, struggling to shove past his opponent. Juvia looked at me with wide frightened eyes. Panicking, I reached down and fumbled with the sack the knight had tossed over earlier, desperate for anything to use as a weapon. A cup, even. But instead, inside were two extra swords. Juvia looked like she was going to cry with relief. We knew how to wield a sword- our old guardian made a big deal of us learning for some reason- but, it had been a while since we'd actually practiced. Well, at least it wasn't a bow and arrows, that was more Levy and Lucy's thing. Especially Levy, since most of the time the swords were bigger than she was.

We each hesitantly grabbed a sword, testing its weight. It was definitely heavier than the ones we practiced with, but given our unusual strength it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. A twig snapped ahead of us, startling me so much I nearly dropped the sword. There he two Phantom Lord men paused, slightly surprised to see two females, before one of them let out a low laugh, clearly amused at the sight of swords in our hands.

 **Juvia POV**

Both men charged forward, clearly deeming us unthreatening whatsoever. When they got close enough they raised their swords, intending to strike us down in one hit. Erza and I sighed dramatically and closed our eyes tiredly. I was kind of getting tired of these people thinking we didn't know anything just because we're girls.

"Mistake number one," I said, eyes flashing open. Erza and I calmly took a side step to the left as they brought their swords down, missing us completely and leaving them hunched over beside us in confusion. We slammed the hilt of our swords on the small of their back so that they fell completely on the ground. "Never underestimate your opponent."

Leaving our backs to them, we took a few calm steps ahead of them. "Mistake number two," Erza began. We both abruptly stop and whirl around, already expecting a sneak attack by the two soldiers. I raise my sword just as Erza raises her armored arm, blocking their attack with ease. "Never be predictable."

They stared at us with such shock that their grip on their swords slackened a little.

"And mistake number three," We whispered, leaning close so that they could hear us better. "Never let your enemy gain the upperhand"

And with that, I twisted my sword under then over his and jerked it upwards, causing it to go flying into the air. Erza did the same basic movement, but with her arm. We caught the swords as they came back down and pointed all our swords right at their throats.

They were gawking so hard at us I swear I could see the bottoms of their throats. They scrambled back and dashed into the woods.

"Tch. Cowards." Erza muttered, but not fighting the smile that slowly formed on her lips.

I grinned at her. "Erza-chan was a total badass."

I snickered when she blushed, embarrassed.

"Erza?!"

"Juvia?!"

Our eyes widen as we recognized the voices of Jellal and Gray. Without a second thought, we shoved our swords back into their original place and tossed the Phantom Lord swords into some bushes. I mean, these guys already thought we were weird, and to see us with swords in both our hands would probably give them a heart attack.

Not two seconds later, they came tearing through like a bunch of wild animals. Panic grew in their eyes when they couldn't locate us near the boulder. A twig snapped beneath my weight and they immediately turned in our direction, their hands raised and glowing threateningly. They visibly relaxed when they realized it was us.

"Are you alright?" Gray asked me as he approached, his eyes surveying me for any signs of injury, Jellal doing the same to Erza beside me.

"N-no! Juvia and Erza are fine!" I smiled hesitantly to prove my point. Gray just looks away with a nod.

"You hid, good job." Jellal compliments with a nod towards the bushes where we were standing.

 _'Right.'_ Erza and I smiled nervously. _'That's exactly what we did…'_

We walked back out to the clearing. When the two men that hid us looked up and saw that we were unharmed they rushed to us with apologies.

"Please forgive us!"

"We should've done more to protect you!"

Our eyes widened and we took a nervous step back as they bow before us on their knees.

"N-no! Juvia thinks you both did marvellously!" I exclaimed, waving my hands frantically in a attempt to get them to stand up.

"We couldn't have asked for a better knights to guard us. You did your absolute best! It was four against two, the odds where against you!" Erza bends over and places a hand on one of the knights shoulders, and I do the same for the other. They stared at us in surprise as we tugged them up. Once standing, we step back and we bow to them just like I had done earlier, at the waist with a hand over our heart.

"We are indebted to you." We murmured. Why do we thank people like this? Well, it was how our foster parent had taught us. Same foster parent that insisted that we learn how to wield a sword- or bow and arrow for Lucy and Levy. She was a weird lady...

We straightened and gave them a reasuring smile, oddly, both knights faces were flushed deep red and they refused to look us in the eye. Erza and I blinked and glanced at each other in confusion. _'Is it something we said?'_

Gray clears his throat. "We're very sorry to interrupt but, we need to head back. It won't be long before reinforcements arrive."

I tried not to let my disappointment show. "Of course, Juvia understands."

The ride back was quiet. I nearly cried when they made us ride on the sidesaddle back.

"People will speak endlessly about it if you come riding in like that." Jellal said when they brought a very worried Castor and Pollux back.

' _Oh_ puh-lease! We all know you just don't want anyone seeing Erza's bare thighs like that!' I giggled darkly into my palm.

 **Erza POV**

"Happy thoughts?"

I blinked at looked at Natsu who gave me a cheeky grin. We were currently in the dining room with everyone. Jellal and Gray were sitting beside their father telling them how everything had gone, meanwhile Natsu had taken a seat beside me while Gajeel had taken a seat beside Juvia, who seemed the only person who wasn't intimidated by him. In fact, she seemed to be _teasing_ him! She was smiling softly while lightly tugging at his hair, Gajeel was trying to look annoyed but his hunched shoulders and the slight blush creeping up his neck said otherwise.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about my family." I responded with a smile.

"Oh, What are they like? Your sisters?" He asked curiously. I blinked. _'What are Lucy and Levy like?'_

"Well, they're the sweetest people I know and also one of the toughest and most stubborn."

Natsu laughed "So they're like you and Juvia, huh?"

I blinked. "I suppose so..." I said softly, looking down at my food as a wave of emotions hit me. I missed them and I worried about them. We have always been together. This is the longest we've ever been apart from each other. I glanced at Juvia and saw that she was feeling the same as me. "I'm kind of tired, I think I'll go to bed."

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows but nodded in understandingly. We bidded everyone goodnight and practically fled to our rooms, both of us thinking the same exact thing.

 _'We're going to that tomb tonight. No matter what.'_

 **Juvia POV**

"Should we leave them a note?" I whispered. It was very late, possibly two in the morning.

"What would we write? _'We've snuck off the premises and back onto Phantom Lord territory to go to the tombs to look for our sisters! Thanks for the hospitality!'_ It's best that we go now and look for them, hopefully if they're there we can jump back to our own time and these kind people will forget about us."

"Juvia supposes you're right…" I said with a sigh.

"Okay, the only thing that we need now is weapons."

I wasn't going to argue with that. There was no way we were going out into those woods without swords or something to defend ourselves with!

"There is an armory near the dining room! Juvia has seen it! But, there are a bunch of knights that are roaming about and keeping guard all around this castle, it'll be tricky to arrive without us getting caught. Juvia suggests that she go alone to retrieve the weapons for us!"

Erza chewed her lip nervously and when she couldn't think of a better idea herself she nodded in agreement.

"Ten minutes." I whispered before I set out before quietly shutting the door behind me.

My heart was hammering away in my chest as I came out into the courtyard. Why did I feel guilty!? These kind people were far better off without us complicating their lives. They'd probably be relieved to not have to figure us or our future out. I knew at least one person would certainly be happy to discover I'd disappeared as fast as I had shown up- Ava.

I hid from two knights who appeared to be on guard duty. They walked past me without so much as a glance in my direction. I eased open the Great Hall door and looked around, seeing nothing but empty chairs and tables illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. I tiptoed over to the armory, nearly sobbing when the door creaked on its hinge. Slowly, I dared to look over my shoulder, expecting to see men charging over to me, demanding to know what I was up to. But no one appeared in the deeply shadowed hall.

I open the door the rest of the way. Here, there were indeed many weapons. Swords of varying lengths; longbows and arrows; axes; and horrible, spiky balls-on-chain thingies. I hurried to a wall and pulled two swords down. They were about ten pounds lighter than the one's we had used earlier so I could move it with more ease. I moved over to a shelf and pulled out two double sheaths that had long, leather straps. It was perfect. In a bit I had one of them wrapped across my chest and buckled at the waist. In the front pocket sheathed a dagger with a seven-inch blade. In the back stowed my broadsword.

As soon as I felt the weight of the weapons, my heart began to slow its frantic pace. I felt stronger, safer. I reached back, practicing my pull a couple times to get a sense of how long it would take to bring it forward, to ward off an attack. I looked down and saw that the dagger could be positioned the opposite way, too. I switched it around, and now I could simultaneously pull the dagger out with my left hand and the sword with my right.

I grinned. _'It's perfect for Erza and Juvia.'_

I pulled a cape over my shoulders and had just picked up all of the extra stuff for Erza when Gajeel's large and scary looming figure appeared in the doorway.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Juvia?"

"Oh, Gajeel-san!" I said, tightening my fist around the edges of my cape in front of me. _'Remember Juvia! This is the same man who confessed that he had a thing for cats earlier at the dining table!'_ I nearly snickered at the thought. "You almost frightened Juvia."

"What are you doing in there?"

"Juvia is lost," I sputtered. "Juvia was in search of the kitchen, hoping to get a…drink."

"A drink? Why not send a servant?"

"It's late. Juvia didn't want to bother anyone. Could you show Juvia where to go?" I opened my eyes wide, hoping they said innocence and not liar, liar, pants on fire.

He seemed to buy it. "Sure. It's this way, in back." He turned and started walking in the other direction and I scurried to catch up.

"Do you have a cold?"

"A cold?"

"Well, you are wearing a cape on one of the warmest nights of the summer."

"Maybe Juvia is coming down with something," I said, wrapping my cape closer to myself

We moved down through a wide hall and into a massive kitchen, still full of the odors of cooling meat and fresh-baked bread. Mira looked up in surprise at us as she wiped her hands on a cloth. ' _Does she not sleep?!'_ "How can I help you?"

"Juvia wants something to drink," Gajeel said.

"Right away, right away," she murmured. She took a crockery mug with no handles from a shelf, then went to the wide stone oven where a fire still crackled and embers glowed. She dipped a ladle into a kettle at the edge and poured the steaming liquid into a cup, then waddled back over to us.

"Anything else?"

"No. Thank you. For everything." I smiled meaningfully at her. I saw her frown a little at that, and realized I sounded as if I were saying farewell. ' _Well technically that's exactly what I was doing…'_ I lifted the cup, hoping that would cover up my mistake.

"Oh, Sleep well, Juvia."

"Thank you."

Gajeel walked with me back through the Great Hall.

"Well," I said. "Juvia thinks she can make it back to her room and not get lost again."

"I'll see you across the courtyard," he said, his eyes slightly troubled. He was taking in the bead of sweat on my brow. Probably worrying that I really was ill. ' _That darn kitchen was sweltering!! Juvia wants to ditch the cape, but if she does he'll see the weapons…'_

We moved across the cobblestones and reached the corridor hallway. "All right," I said with a grin. "Juvia is certain she can make it from here."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his worry turning to teasing. I bristled and pouted slightly. He was getting revenge from earlier.

"Yes, Gajeel-san." I said exasperatedly

"Good night, Juvia," he said with a hearty laugh.

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly before easing my way through the doorway and closing the door behind me, ignoring his laughter again.

I listened, and after a moment, heard his soft leather boots take the first few steps away. I let out a big breath of relief just as my guilt comes tumbling back but I push it away and focus on the ropes I had grabbed from the armory. On closer inspection, they weren't long enough to scale down the entire castle wall, but I'm certain we can jump the rest of the length down.

I hurried to Erza's room where she was nervously pacing. _"Juvia."_ She said my name in relief and gave me a bone crushing hug.

"Juvia apologizes, she ran into Gajeel-san on her way back but everything else went well." I hand her a cape and her weapons and we scurry out.

We ducked through the hallway door and climbed the turret staircase that led to the very top of the wall. On the last step, Erza paused and then peeked out. There was a guard that was just passing through and another guard was moving away from us at a leisurely pace. Erza turned to me and held up nine fingers and I nodded. We had about ninety seconds before he would turn and come back in our direction. _Ninety, eighty-nine._

I hurriedly fetched both lengths of rope, tossing one to Erza. We wrapped the long lengths of rope into a figure eight and pulled it over one arm.

We sprinted across to the other side of the wall and tied off my rope to one of the ledges of the wall, counting off the seconds as I worked. _Seventy-two, seventy-one._ In quick order, after glancing around the tower to be sure the first guard hadn't caught sight of us, I let the length of rope drop over the edge. It dangled six feet from the ground. Close enough. _Sixty-five, sixty-four._

I hurriedly tugged the rope to check if it was secure, wrapped my hands in strips of cloth to avoid the rope burn to come, and pulled the rope up and made a loop, preparing to rappel.

"So that's why you needed a dagger this night," said a droll voice a few feet away.

Erza and I gasped and jumped, nearly losing our balance on the edge of the wall.

Gajeel and Natsu were leaning against the wall, looking down on our intended escape route. "That's a long drop, why not go through the gate?" Natsu asked, as if he always came across women trying to climb down the castle wall. _Fifty-three, fifty-two…_

Erza shook her head, in no mood for his humor at this moment. "We can't go through the gate," she whispered fiercely, hoping to convince him to just let us go before the guard returned. "They will not allow it at such an hour."

"Indeed they will not." Gajeel nodded out to the dark woods. "You intend to return to the tombs?"

I nodded, begging with my eyes.

"That is no place for a lady at night. Do you not remember our encounter this afternoon and the Phantom Lords' hatred of Fairy Tail?"

"We are not of Fairy Tail."

"You may as well be. A night spent in the Fairy Tail house makes you a member."

"Please, we need to go. We need to look for our sisters." I took another nervous glance toward the guard. He was nearing the end of the wall.

"In the dark of night? You'll only get yourselves lost or discovered by a Phantom Lord knight. Or worse."

"Worse? Who is worse?" Erza incredulously asked. I looked to the guards on either end, still unaware of us. The last thing we needed was for them to come running on over here too.

Natsu sighed heavily. "Phantom Lord is not our only enemy. A Bellum such as yourself cannot assume to know where it is safe to go. If you need to go, allow us to go as your guards. In the morning, out the gate."

"I apologize but we cannot do that! We can't sleep, knowing that our sisters might be out there!"

Gajeel glanced over the side and raised a brow. "Then we'll go with you now, through the gates."

"Your brothers will not let you go." I countered, nervously glancing at the guard.

"They're asleep. Come, we'll take a look, if we must."

"If we go through the gates, ten guards will be ringing the bells."

"So you truly intend to climb the wall?" they asked incredulously. "You'll fall and break your neck. Then what will Gray/Jellal do to me?"

"Juvia will not fall," I said with a grin, putting my feet over and finding a small ledge. "I wish we had some carabiners and straps, but this will do." Erza murmured as we gave the rope a quick tug then leaned outward. _Thirty-two, thirty-one…_ The guards were probably turning by now, heading back in our direction. Quickly, I rappelled a foot down.

"Erza!"

"Oi, Juvia!"

"We're fine," Erza hissed, not wanting him to draw attention. "Quit worrying over us!" We went another foot and grinned up at them. The poor guys were in total shock. "Look away, both of you. Then you can say you never saw us leave, only that we disappeared in the dark." We eased down just as I finished saying that, sliding as fast as we dared, half-expecting them to sound an alarm.

But as we dropped, panting, to the soft peat below, I saw that as the silhouette of the guard returned, our rope was already gone, pulled in from above.

I turned and ran, stumbling a couple of times over branches but managing to stay in step with Erza. I heard a shout from the castle but ignored it. Soon We were deep in the forest, on the narrow horse path that led to the creek. There was just enough of a moon out to see it. If we stayed on it, we should be able to find the tomb.

It took me about ten minutes to realize we weren't alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Juvia POV**

We stopped abruptly and turned so that we were back to back, Erza had her arms in front of herself beneath her cape and I eased my dagger out of its sheath, keeping it hidden beneath the folds of my cape. We stood tense and ready for an attack or an ambush, but I immediately recognized Jellal and Gray's figure in the moons soft glow, Gajeel and Natsu standing beside them.

"You scared us to death," I scolded, trying to steady my pounding heart.

"Maybe you are dead. We're told you two scale walls like wraiths." Gray moved to my side and looked down at me, then grabbed my wrist, slowly bringing the dagger to the soft, ivory light of night. His eyes met mine.

"Are you a spies as my father feared?" Jellal said sharply, never taking his eyes off Erza.

"No! We're simply in search of our sisters!"

Gray looked down at the dagger and then back to me.

"Juvia did not know it was you four, behind me in the woods," I sputtered. "Juvia is not naive to come into the woods unarmed!" I shook off his hand and slid the dagger back into the front sheath. "Juvia told Gajeel-san she wished to do this alone."

"And I told you," Gajeel said, no trace of humor in his voice, "that I could not allow it."

"Why are you so certain that you will find your sisters at the tombs?" Jellal grit out.

"We're not. We just have to know. I can't sleep another night, thinking they might be out here, lost, looking for us... What if Phantom Lord gets hold of them?" Erza said.

"I assure you, they don't have them," Jellal said, his tone softening. "He would've used them as bait... or demanded a ransom once he connected them to you two."

"Well, that is good for us, then," I said. "That makes it more likely that Lucy and Levy are still at the tombs. We'll either find them there... or we won't. At least on foot, we can approach without detection." I pointed out.

Gray grunted and trudged past me. "If we're to do this foolish thing, then lets hurry. I'd still like to get some sleep this night."

I clenched my fists and glare at his comment but say nothing. He had no idea what I or Erza were willing to do to get Lucy and Levy back. I hurried after him, struggling to keep up with his fast, irritated pace. Gajeel followed behind me. "He's angry."

I paused and glance up at him, before continuing to walk. "That is not Juvia's concern. He should've just let Juvia and her sister leave. It would've been like we had never existed and everything would've gone back to normal for all of you."

"I seriously hope you don't actually believe that." Natsu incredulously said.

"What's not to believe." Erza responded, tilting her head up in defiance.

Gajeel took a step closer, dropping his tone. "Maybe it's different in Bellum. Here, few dare to question our decisions. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't drag you and your sister back."

' _I'd like to see them try.'_

"You didn't have to tell them," I retorted.

"Yes, we did."

"They didn't ever have to know we were gone," Erza insisted.

"We did. The protection of Fairy Tail is our responsibility."

We gaped at them. "You thought we were spies too?"

"We didn't know what to think." Gajeel glanced down at us like we were some kind of new species of animal. "We've never met women like you."

 _'There's a good reason for that.'_

We caught up with Gray and Jellal a few minutes later. They said nothing as they took the rear guard position when we passed. I could see the curves of the tomb roofs, stretching out before us, the wide, flat plain on which they had been built. "Lucy," I said in a whisper, aware of the Phantom Lord castle, no more than a half-mile away.

"Levy?" Erza tried, edging around the tomb. None of us wished to be seen by a Phantom Lord knight in the pale moonlight. "Lev?"

I held my breath, hoping that they'd emerge and jump into our arms. But the only response, after a pause, was the crickets, resuming their song.

"Maybe they're inside," I said to Erza. "Juvia will crawl in and have a quick look."

"I will go." Gray said, stepping forward.

"No!" I said, grabbing his forearm, then quickly releasing it. "You will frighten them, if they're in there they might scream." ' _and possibly kick you.'_

He considered me a moment, then gestured inside. "Be quick."

I bent at once and crawled, as best I could in this weird dress, through the tunnel, standing to my full height when I knew I must be beneath the large, rounded dome. "Levy?... Lucy?" I whispered, still hoping. But the echo of their names wrapped around the room and disappeared out the entrance as if it had never left my lips.

I sighed. They weren't here. Where are they then?

I stepped in the shards of the pot Erza had broken when we first arrived and let out a yelp.

"Juvia?!" Gray whispered, alarmed.

I jumped a bit, thinking he had entered, but he was only at the entrance. "J-Juvia is fine!"

I scanned the tomb once more, hoping to find a hint that Lucy and Levy had been here at all, but what I saw instead made me gasp.

 **Erza POV**

He scared me so badly I jumped.

It was only Natsu, but I'd been so lost in my swirling thoughts about our next step that I missed the question he asked me. Now that we knew Lucy and Levy weren't here I wasn't sure what to do.

"Erza," he said again, "Are you okay?"

"I-I am." My heart squeezed in my chest. "It's only that ...I was almost certain they would be here, asleep in a corner."

I sensed more than saw Jellal take a step forward in the dark. "It's been a long night. We should be heading back. I'm sure in the morning you'll feel better."

"I doubt it," Juvia muttered in english, shaking her head. I frowned at her. She had been acting a bit strange since she crawled out of the tomb...

We'd just taken a step toward the path when Natsu paused in front of us and held up a hand. A half second later, he waved it and dived to the left, between two trees. Jellal grabbed my hand and yanked me to the right.

"In there," he whispered, motioning toward a low cave. I could hear it then. Hoofbeats approaching. A Phantom Lord patrol.

Jellal's hand began to glow faintly as he crouched, turning to face the entrance. He was right in front of me. To keep from tipping over, I laid a hand on his back, taking comfort in the steady rise and fall of his breath, even as six horses walked by. The guards were talking, distracted, obviously not entirely on task. But were they to discover us, Jellal, Gajeel, Natsu, and Gray would be outnumbered. But only by two. Juvia and I had our weapons too.

The knights kept moving, and when we could no longer hear them, Jellal glanced over his shoulder and whispered, "Come." We crawled out and brushed ourselves off.

They didn't have to say what I knew- it would've been very bad for us if the Phantom Lord knights had come across us at the tombs. We resumed our walk back to the castle. We eventually arrived and Gajeel and Natsu parted to go to sleep. Jellal and Gray insisted on walking us to our rooms.

"What about your family in Bellum? Your father or mother?" Jellal suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Oh, erm... Well, Juvia and I, as well as our other sisters, are not biological siblings as you could probably tell." I explained, motioning to my lava red hair and Juvia's ocean blue locks. "We had one female guardian but she...died." I said hesitantly. They were silent for a moment, letting it sink in.

"And there is no one else? Uncles? Cousins?" Gray asked.

Juvia shook her head. "No, there is no one else."

"Then you are four uncommon women," Jellal said softly, looking my way. "It is difficult for the fairer sex, without a protector."

I tensed, then forced myself to relax. I was a hair lengths away of showing him just how difficult I could be, but unfortunately I needed him and his family. "Our guardian taught us well," I said, pushing my shoulders back. "We will be all right."

I thought I saw a flash of a smile. "I believe you."

And the rest of the trip to our rooms was silent. I had just sat down on my bed after they left when Juvia suddenly came charging in like a bull.

"Erza, Erza! There's something Juvia didn't tell you about the tombs! There was a map!"

I blinked. "Did it give a hint on where Lucy and Levy could be?"

Juvia shook her head frantically. "No! Juvia didn't even recognize the landmarks or the land!"

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "I know maps in this time are a bit dated, but it can't be that bad."

Juvia shook her head frantically. "You don't understand! Juvia knows every country on earth just by the shape!"

"I don't get what you're implyin-"

"We didn't just travel back in time Erza!... We traveled into a different **dimension**."


	10. Chapter 10

**Erza POV**

Morning came faster than I was ready for. ' _Other dimension or no, I'm going to wring that stupid rooster's neck...'_ Personally, I think I took the other dimension news quite well. At least the magic stuff made more sense now. Sort of. ' _But that doesn't explain why- Argh! one thing at a time Erza, focus on finding Lucy and Levy.'_

I reluctantly roll out of bed and move over to the basin of water to splashed my face. Feeling less groggy and a bit more awake, I pick up a brush and I ran through the tangles of my hair. The sun was just peeking over the land, I edged open my door and peeked down the hallway, half expecting Jellal to have posted a sentry at our doors, given our behavior the night before. But no one was there. Only the flickering, dancing torchlight moved. Juvia likely wasn't awake yet.

I edged out the door and closed it softly behind me. I moved down the corridor on tiptoes, past the door that led to the courtyard, to one of the turrets that climbed up to the wall walk at the top. Cautiously, I eased open the wooden door, pleased to see that it was not locked.

Would they be bothered if I went up there again? Surely, Jellal or one of his brothers had warned them all by now to watch out for their crazy female houseguests, willing to scale the castle walls to escape. I snickered to myself. I moved forward, gaining confidence as I did so, barely hesitating at the top. I ducked and pushed.

Nobody was in front of me, the guard already turned the corner so I took a deep breath, appreciating the cool of the evening breeze on my hot face. I closed my eyes and breathed in the familiar scents of spicy sage and sweet forest loam and warm, dusty oak. How can this place smell so right, so much like home, and yet be so wrong?

I blinked my eyes open. I was at level with most of the forest canopy, able to see for miles, to the parapets of the Phantom Lord castle, flying it's violet flag. I leaned forward, elbows on the wall, massaging my scalp, trying to ease away the tension there. Again, I picked up the scents of oak and sage, but now I could smell ripening grain. It was no wonder that Simon, Jellal's cousin, suffered so from _'lung ailments,'_ as Mira mentioned once- the air was thick with life here.

I tensed when I noticed a figure appear from the corner of my eye. It was Jellal, five feet away from me, hands on the castle wall, staring outward as I was. I straightened and touched my hair, which had become tousled up from the breeze.

"Your hair, do you usually wear it down?"

"If it is not in a braid," I said after a moment. "Or pulled back."

"Ahh." He looked at me from the corners of his eyes until I felt the heat of a flush climb my neck and jaw.

I hurriedly looked back to the forest, hoping he couldn't see my blush in the waning light. I'm freaking Erza Scarlet!!! It's downright embarrassing to be a blushing mess for some..some... guy.

 _'A hot hunk of a guy might I sa-'_

"J-Jellal," I said, interrupting my own thoughts. "I wondered if we could borrow Castor and Pollux to visit any nearby towns."

"Towns?" asked a feminine voice.

I turned, knowing who was behind me already. Carmen paraded down the allure, Ava following behind.

"Goodness, you seem to be fighting the same hair battle as your sister?" she asked with a giggle. "Of course, this summer wind does nothing to help any of us," she added.

 _'Right,'_ I thought. _'Soften that dig. Neither of us missed it, did we?'_

"Well, I think it's a good idea. I also want to go for a ride into town." Carmen sniffed. She glanced up at Jellal, searching his face for some reaction, but he merely nodded, almost imperceptibly. "It's been weeks since I've been out, and I really want to see to the details of our wedding ceremony."

I smiled, wanting to appear conciliatory, hoping to set her at ease a little so maybe she'd stop constantly trying to provoke me. Life was tough enough without any unnecessary enemies. "I can only imagine," I said. "How much longer until your nuptials?"

"The fifteenth of September. Generations of my family have married on that day, and all have been blessed by good fortune and many children."

"Sounds like the right day, for sure," I said with a nod.

"Why are you eager to go into town?" Jellal said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Lucy and Levy might be there. It is the next, closest place, no?"

"I will send a messenger to look around," Jellal said. "There is no need for you or your sister to further endanger yourselves."

"Jellal," Carmen said, setting a small, delicate hand on his forearm, "You, of all people, should know the importance of family! You must allow Erza and her sister to continue their search. What if they miss their reunion by a day or two? That would be tragic."

I almost snickered out loud. _'Tragic in that we wouldn't be out of your way for good.'_

"Unfortunately," Jellal said, "word reached me this evening that there are mini Phantom Lord armies all about us. Until they clear up we cannot allow anyone to leave."

"Might I remind you that my sister and I are neither a member of this household or bound to your care," I said carefully, pulling my shoulders back and lifting my head. "We're very thankful for your help, but we remain free to choose when and where we go."

 **A/N: Goddamn Erza!!!! Level down on the savagery!!!**

His mouth dropped open a bit, and then he clamped it shut. "Be that as it may," he said, waving a dismissive hand through the air, "you are an unaccompanied female, and it is our duty to look after you."

' _LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE-'_

I bit my tongue hard to keep from spewing obscenities. It would be best just to disappear when we decided the time was right. This time without any shadows. My eagerness to leave seemed to soften Carmen a bit. She studied me a moment and then said, "Won't you come and join us for the morning reading?"

Morning reading? That sounded more like Levy's thing...listening to poetry or whatever they read wasn't my idea of kickin' back and relaxing. "I thank you for your kind invitation, but I think I'm going to check up on my sister soon. Perhaps I could join you next time?"

"As you wish," she said coolly, turning and then pausing at the turret doorway. "Will you be so kind as to accompany me?" she said to Jellal.

He pulled his warm, brown eyes from me and turned to follow her. Mollified, she disappeared, Ava following behind her, but Jellal hovered in the doorway. "There aren't coils of rope hidden beneath that armor of yours right?" he said lowly.

I let a smile spread across my face and gave a little shake of my head. "No."

"I have your word? You won't not step outside the castle?"

Man, he was stubborn. "Not today," I reasoned.

With that, he turned and followed his bride-to-be.

 **Juvia POV**

I awakened, surprisingly not to the sound of a rooster, but to men preparing for battle. Horses whinnying, leather creaking, metal clanking together. I threw back my covers and opened the door to my room, curious to find out what the commotion was all about. Mira stood there with her hand raised mid-knock.

"Miss me?" she said teasingly. I smiled at her and moved to the side to let her in.

"What's happening?" I asked. "Who is preparing to ride?"

"Our knights. For once it's not Phantom Lord, but some other band of criminals. They took a small village under the protection of Fairy Tail, not far from here."

I frowned. That didn't sound good. Who were these guys, some sort of gang, making the most of this latest Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord conflict? I sighed and blew out my cheeks. No matter the dimension, there were always guys ready to swoop in and take advantage of a situation.

We arrived in the courtyard just as the men had mounted up. Gray was leaning down, accepting a flower from Ava, then he straightened to bark orders at his men as she backed away. The horses, excited by the scent of battle on the wind, circled endlessly, fighting their masters. Gray wheeled his gelding around and caught my eye, held it for a moment as if silently asking, _'You'll stay here, right?'_

I frowned a little but gave him a tiny nod. The last thing he needed right now was to be worrying over me.

Gray and his brothers returned their attention to the men. They raised their arms, pointing to the sky, and the men came into formation. Two by two, all eighteen of them galloped out the gates, and I felt the ground beneath my feet rumble.

 _'Juvia will die if she has to spend another moment cooped up in her room.'_ I thought, walking in the opposite direction of where our bedrooms were. Since I couldn't go out to search for Lucy and Levy in town, what should I do? Hang out with Ava and her posse?

"Juvia would rather die." I muttered. Up ahead I spotted Ava chatting away with her girls. "Nope, Juvia's gon' die."

I picked up the pace and quickly found myself lost. I tentatively knocked on a few doors, but they were all empty. "What?" I muttered, glancing around. "Does Juvia have the plague or something?"

I could still hear Ava's voice from the courtyard. I shivered and kept moving. I couldn't get through this hallway fast enough. I raced to the next nearest door, relieved when I unlatched it and escaped. I ducked into the next corridor, expecting another row of rooms. But it was a massive, dimly lit room.

In the corner, a fire smoldered in the hearth, having chased away the morning's brief chill. Two big windows let the morning light in. We had stepped into the inviting room before I spotted him, lounging on a large horsehair settee, staring back at us with mild interest.

"Mister Simon!" I said, horrified to be discovered snooping. This must be Simon's sickroom.

"No, no," he said, gesturing at me as if to say calm down. "It is quite all right, Miss Lockser." He lowered his book to his lap, and when he smiled, I realized just how down he looked. I wondered if he was thinking about his cousins, galloping off to a battle that should have been his own, if it wasn't for his sickness. He may as well have been a patient in the cancer wing of a hospital, simply biding his time.

A wave of sympathy washed over me. He was obviously a sweet guy, and not much older than me. "Juvia will leave you to your reading." I started to back away.

"I think I'd prefer your company for a moment. Please." He gestured to a chair beside his. I met his gaze and realized that despite his frail appearance, he had the bearing of a young lord. There would be no arguing with him. I moved to the chair and folded my hands in my lap, staring at him as boldly as he was staring at me.

"You probably wonder why I don't ride with my cousins." he said, each word a sigh of long-held frustration.

"No, Juvia means...you are obviously not well..."

"Indeed I am not." Even in those few words, I could hear the wheeze in his breath. He chuckled lightly. "The way you speak is amusing. Is it common in Bellum?"

I frowned a little and looked away, embarrassed. "I-it is not. J-Juvia apologises, it is just her manner of speaking."

"Please don't apologize! I didn't mean it in a rude way! I think it's very interesting!"

My eyes widened slightly but I still smiled at him. "May Juvia ask...what is it that bothers you?"

"Are you educated in the art of medicine?"

Yeah, the art of Walgreens and Urgent Care. "A bit," I hedged.

"Lung trouble. The doctors say that I am full of water."

"Ahh," I said, as if I understood what the heck he was talking about. "If you don't mind, can you tell Juvia what your symptoms are?"

He smiled and laid his book on a small table beside him. "Surely a lady as comely as yourself wouldn't want to speak of such things."

"Try Juvia."

He stared at me, confusion lowering his brow. Maybe not all slang phrases have reached this dimension.

I translated. "Juvia is most interested to know. Maybe she might find some small way to help you."

He looked at me hard then and shook his head a little. "I am not seeking a bride."

He thought I was after him? For what, his money? I raised my brows. "That is of great relief to Juvia since she is not seeking a husband, she has no intentions of staying here for long. Juvia only wants to locate her sisters."

His brows lifted, and he smiled a little, as if he had never heard such a thing from an unattached female. Perhaps he hadn't. Not seeking a husband? What else did the girls here have going for them? No studies, no working. It made me feel a little sorry for Ava. Maybe I should cut her some slack...

"When I wake up in the morning I can barely breathe," he began to tell me, staring back at the fire again, "My servant has to thump my back to break up the mucous, to which I cough so hard that sometimes I wish for death."

Hmm. Sounds a bit like the asthma Levy and I had as kids. I remembered well the horrific feeling of suffocation... I shook my head at the memory. I sure am glad that we outgrew it years ago.

He leaned back and returned his gaze to me, as if that might be enough to make me run for the hills, but I simply stared back.

"As the morning goes on," he finally went on, "the coughing eases, but this dreaded wheeze stays with me, reminding me of my illness with every breath of every day."

"Does your nose run? Do your eyes water?"

He nodded, clearly puzzled by my questions. His eyes were ringed with deep purple, testimony to his nightly battles to breathe-and possibly to allergies that set him off in the first place. Or it might have been caused by his sleep being so disrupted...

"Do you run a fever? Are you hot?"

He shook his head, then shrugged one shoulder. "I sweat a lot when I cough so violently. But it is not a fever."

"And your appetite? Do you want to eat?"

"At times, but my breathing makes it a chore." He lifted an arm and studied it, as if seeing for the first time how bony he had become.

"What have the doctors told you to do?"

He shrugged and glanced at the fire. "Not much, though they are more than happy to take my uncle's gold for every visit."

"Does steam help at all?" I thought of our old guardian, tenting our heads with a towel and making us sit over a bowl of boiling water when we were all stopped up. It was uncomfortable, but it did get things moving again.

"They never suggested such a thing." he said, studying me with an edge of hope in his eyes.

I eyed the chair on which he lounged. "How often are you on that seat each day?"

He raised one brow. "Most of the day, everyday I'd say."

"Do your symptoms change depending on where you are? Do they get worse when you come in here from your bedroom?"

He thinks my questions over. "My nose and eyes tend to run, but I assumed it was from the smoke."

"That is possible." A familiar voice said from the door. "Or you might be allergic to horses. And lounges covered in horse hair."

"Erza!" I said in delightful surprise.

Simon looked towards the doorway where Erza was leaning on. "Allergic?"

Hmm, maybe that word isn't in use... "It simply means that being near horses or couches made with their skins might irritate you and your lungs."

His eyes opened wider with understanding.

"You can be allergic to horses, or hay, or cats, or pollen." Erza continued while stepping in and surveying the room.

"Pollen?"

 _'This dimension doesn't even know pollen?'_

"Erm.. That fine dust from the trees that is so thick this time of year. Even grass or weeds. Maybe your doctors have not yet heard of this. It is quite common in Bellum." Yes, we were lying through our teeth, but we wanted him to give our words some weight in case we could actually help him.

I rose and went to the small bookshelf, running my hand over the thick, odd goat-leather bindings. It took me a moment of staring at the covers before I realized that I could actually read this wierd language too.

"Do you read, Miss Lockser?" he asked, interrupting my reverie.

"Well, yes," I said, before I thought it through. I dragged my eyes toward him. Being schooled enough to read in this era was probably rare, even for the guys. "But not as much as my sister Levy."

But he was smiling in delighted surprise. "Books are my constant companion. My uncle has little use for them. My cousin's can read only a few pages before they fall asleep each night. "

Erza and I chuckled.

He regarded us and then took a slow, wheezy breath. "Do tell, how does one avoid daily things such as horses when one lives in a castle? Or dust from the trees?"

I took a survey of the room before I responded his question. "It is difficult. But Juvia thinks she and her sister know of some measures that might bring you some relief. Are you willing to try one or two of them?"

"I don't see why not."

"Great!" I said with a small bounce, my exuberant response shocking him a little. "Juvia means, very well. We shall begin tomorrow!"

"Why not now?"

I blinked in surprise. "Well, all right. Please, summon someone who can assist us." We're gonna need a little help in here.

He reached behind himself and pulled a rope. My eyes followed it to the ceiling, where it disappeared through a small hole. In a few moments, a footman appeared.

"Macao, Juvia and Erza going to help me today."

The servant did not react. Perhaps that was what they strived for-no reaction, just obedience.

"Don't be shy, tell him what to do."

Erza tapped her lips, thinking. "Is this where you like to spend your days? Is there another room with more air? More windows?"

"No, I'm afraid this is the best, and I'll admit, it's my favorite."

"All right, then. I will need you to do exactly as we say for a week, no matter how crazy it sounds. Are you willing to give us that much time?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I might be dead tomorrow, but whatever time I have left is yours."

Erza returned his subtly flirtatious smile. They weren't serious about it, of course. It was just for fun. "Good. Then Macao here better get some help. We need this room cleared out, from top to bottom, and then the maids will need to come and wash every inch of it, from top to bottom, with hot, hot water, and some sort of cleanser... What do you use to disinfect?"

Both men stared at Erza blankly. "She means when there's been something messy, what do the maids use to clean, make it safe again?" I amended.

"Ah, lye is what you're after. And vinegar."

"Excellent!" I said, remembering. Lye was still the main ingredient in a lot of soaps. "Yes, hot, hot water, vinegar and lye. The same for your bedroom, you're going to have to empty it and bring back only the barest of essentials." I began to pace.

"The horsehair settee has to go, for example. You'll need to find a hardwood chair for the week." Erza stated.

"Is this treatment or punishment?"

I smiled. "We are trying to help you. Remember that. Please do not bring any of these woolens back in. Let's remove the tapestries, just for the week."

Erza added quickly. "I saw women working upon a loom in the courtyard. Bring that new blanket in, fresh from the loom."

I leaned closer to him. "Our doctors believe that things like dust get lodged in linens, and therefore, if that is what irritates your lungs, you are beneath one, huge irritant."

He nodded as if he understood me, but I could see a little of the ' _These Chick's are Crazy'_ look in his eyes.

"What about myself? All this is well and good for the room, but I thought your aim was to help me. Also," He leaned closer to me. "Your sister wouldn't happen to be looking for a husband would she?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye, that flash of flirtation and humor there again. In that moment, I could see the resemblance to his cousins, the glimpse of the young man he was supposed to be. I laughed and swatted his shoulder lightly, from the corner of my eye I could see Erza roll her eyes but nonetheless grinning. We paced, trying to recollect old herbs used as treatment for allergies.

"Peppermint," Erza told the servant with a snap of her finger. "More hot water. The finest, thinnest cloth you can obtain."

I nodded and turned to Simon. "In the meantime, Juvia needs you to bathe, head to toe, and wear a dressing gown, again, of the finest possible cloth."

He flashed me a grin. "Will you and your sister be seeing to my bath yourselves?"

"No," We said, lifting our eyebrows and smiling back. "I believe that Macao is more than capable of seeing you through that." Erza said. I liked the color their flirting game brought to his cheeks, even if we both knew it was futile. When he said he might be dead by tomorrow, he wasn't joking. His skin was so ashen, his bones poking at his flesh that he looked like he belonged in hospital. But in the meantime, we could give him some hope.

Simon disappeared on the arm of Macao, moving slowly.

More servants were brought in, and the room was quickly emptied. Tapestries were rolled up and removed. Furniture was carried out. The books were lovingly wrapped in linens and placed in trunks. Levy herself would've been heartwarmed at the sight.

"What is going on here?"

I turned to see Mira enter the room, and smiled at her rounded eyes and pink cheeks. "Hello, Mira. My sister and I learned a bit of doctoring in Bellum, so Simon has asked us to do what we can for him."

"Oh, wonderful! But, do be careful!" She said lowly, waving a finger. "He was quite the playboy before the illness got the best of him."

Erza and I glanced at each other sweatdropping. He felt far from any kind of Romeo to me. I mean, if he wasn't on the verge of death, it might be different... But we nodded in understanding.

"We'll take care." Erza said after a moment. "May I ask you for something for him?"

Her brow furrowed.

"I wonder if we might give him good soups in a clear broth for the next week. Chicken would be best. Lots of vegetables and meat. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Certainly," she said, as if offended. "I could do that in my sleep."

"Wonderful. The more simple and hearty, the better. Let's feed him five times a day."

"Five times a day?" she blustered. "He barely eats once!"

"Yes, well, Juvia and Erza will see an end to that." I interjected. No one could get better on such rations. If we could get him to even eat a cup of it every few hours, it'd give his body the energy to fight whatever was slowly killing him.

"If that's what he's asked for..."

"Yes," Erza said simply, speaking for him. Five maids arrived, steaming buckets of water in each hand. I looked about the empty room. "First, let's sweep it out and put out that fire."

"Can you fetch some brooms? We will aid you." Erza said.

They glanced at each other, and I knew we'd crossed a weird line. "Fine, fine," she said in irritation. "Do it yourselves. We must hurry, though. I want the water to stay hot."

Two scurried out and returned in short order. In minutes they'd swept the room, piling the dust and then carrying it outside. Another poured water on the fire and cleaned the embers from the fireplace and carried it out. I gazed around. "All right, now. Let's start up high. Like this." I picked up a bucket and threw the water in a massive arc, so it went to the top of the ten-foot walls in a graceful manner, even reaching a portion of the ceiling. The maids twittered and giggled, but I ignored them. They were just nervous. "Like that. Every wall. Then the floor."

They went about their business. In half an hour, lye had been spread, more buckets of water had been splashed, and all of it had been sopped up and carried out. We returned from the hallway and surveyed their work, hands on hips. "Nice work, ladies!" We crooned in english.

They looked at us, wide-eyed.

"Erm, good job" I corrected. "This is perfect."

"Now we need those wooden chairs for Simon, a bucket of boiling water, and a clean, clean cloth. Can you fetch that for me, please?" Erza asked.

"Yes, mam," they all said, bobbing and moving out like a line of housekeeping soldiers. "Juvia's beginning to like this." I whispered jokingly to Erza who giggled.

The furniture returned, two simple wooden chairs, a table, and a more elaborate wooden settee. They hardly looked comfortable for reclining, but there was no way around it. If we were after a non-allergic room, this was it. They brought back the tapestries and crates of books, but I held up my hand. "Juvia apologizes," I said, choosing my words carefully. "But, for a week, could you put those in another room?"

Eyes wide with confusion, the servants turned and left, speaking in hushed whispers to those behind them, passing on the word. "Sorry, Simon," I muttered. "It's hardly a cozy den without them, but you wanted our help..."

Simon returned then, looking more pale than before. He was in a thin white dressing gown, shivering, even though it was a good seventy degrees. It was going to be a hot one today, but he, obviously, was not yet feeling it. Erza and I went to the opposite side of him and helped his servant get him to the chair.

"Where's are all my stuff?" he asked.

"It's all in your room for now. Remember, you gave us a week. I'll go and get any book you wish, but we need to be careful what we add to this room. The idea, after all, is to make you feel better." Erza said slowly.

He nodded. Mira arrived with the first of his soup, and I explained to him our hope- that he would try to eat constantly through the day, at least a cup of it, five times. He began the task gamely, but after a few bites, sat back, looking at me as if he might throw up.

"All right, all right. Next time," I said, leaning closer to Mira I whisper "Let's just do the broth." She nods and departs. Another servant arrived, with a fresh bucket of boiling water, a dancing coil of steam rising from the sloshing top.

"Right here." I gestured toward Simon's feet. She set it down and handed me a yard of clean, gauze like silk cloth.

"Do you have access to more of this? A lot of it? It's perfect for him, unlikely to disrupt his health." Erza said.

"We could also use it to pad the wooden settee. He was already shifting uncomfortably, probably because he has so little fat or muscle." I whispered to Erza. She nodded in agreement and surveyed the room once more. "Also, we could use more to block off the windows, allowing air in but hopefully keeping some of the pollen out."

We told as much to the servant and she bobbed a curtsy and set off to do as Erza asked. I walked over to the table where the basket of supplies they'd brought me from the kitchen was. Erza cut a lemon in half and selected some peppermint from a basket of herbs. Simon regarded us with suspicious, worried eyes, as did his servant.

"Don't worry," I said. "We aren't going to harm you."

"No, just remove any comfort I have left."

"Our goal," Erza said with scolding eyes, a little irked with him, "is to see you to better health. Try to remember that, all right?"

"I'll remember...with every creak of this bench," he said, waving at us tiredly.

Erza squeezed the lemon into the water and then let the rind float atop it. I tore the oblong mint into the steaming water, watching the pieces drift across the surface for a moment until the water at last stilled. Honestly, I had no idea if these would do anything more than make it smell good. Were we remembering it right? That mint had calming properties? Well, at least it's something. I looked up at Simon. "Do you still feel sick to your stomach?"

He shook his head weakly.

"Here," I said, waving him forward. "You must sit with your head above the steam, so you feel it upon your face. Breathe it in as much as you can. Juvia is going to use this," I said, reaching for the yard of cloth, "to stretch across your head, making a form of tent, which will keep the steam coming your way. All right?"

His servant looked at us with distrustful eyes and then around the room, as if catching himself. Erza ignored him and placed a hand on Simon's back. "How are you doing?"

He nodded in response.

"If it gets too much, if you're feeling faint, please sit back and take in some fresh air, all right?" Erza said in a worried tone.

He nodded again.

Erza bit her lip and glanced at me. He was so terribly weak. If we were in our time,- and dimension- he'd definitely be in the hospital. He probably needed a transfusion or something. An IV, for sure. We needed to get as much liquid into him as we could. Water. Tea. Broth. That would go a long way in making him feel better. And hopefully our weak attempt at a breathing treatment would help him too. If only we had access to a nebulizer and inhalers, we could fix him right up...

He sat back, the cloth about his head and shoulders, panting, but within fifteen minutes the steam had brought some color to his cheeks. "Good, good," I soothed. "You're doing well."

"It makes my nose run faster, but I think it's helping my lungs."

"Yes," I said with a smile, encouraged. "That's what we want. To loosen the phlegm inside your lungs so you can breathe better."

"How many more times will we do this?"

"As much as we can; all day if that's what it takes," Erza said. "Then, if you improve, less. But it's worth a try, no?"

He nodded again, so tired, and then bent forward over the bucket, determined to keep at it.

The thunder of hoofbeats and the muffled shouts of men told us that Gray and his brothers were back.

Erza shifted from foot to foot anxiously. Simon said, looking out from beneath his tented cloth, "Go. But come back and tell me of their victory."

Erza smiled gratefully and glanced at me.

"Juvia will stay here and watch over him a bit longer."

She nodded and fled the room


	11. Chapter 11

**Erza POV**

I moved out of the room and out the corridor door to the courtyard. The men swirled, like leaves caught in a whirlwind, still hollering about their victory as if they'd won the World Cup or something. I quickly counted. All eighteen of them were back, plus two captives.

"They put up a small fight, then scattered like dogs," Natsu said proudly to his father as he dismounted. I struggled to hear over the noise, but I didn't want to get too close, to interfere. Also, Carmen and Ava were already on the move, heading to their men. I wasn't going to get in the middle of that.

"We captured these two," I heard Jellal say as he motioned towards two men tied by the hand to a horse.

"Well done, my sons, well done," Makarov said, patting patting them on the back. "Have they revealed who was behind the attack?"

"Nothing, yet."

"We shall get it out of them soon enough. Once we have their master's name, we'll get them into town," he said to his sons, who nodded in return.

"Town?" I said, hope obvious in my tone of voice. "Could Juvia and I go with you? We might find Lucy and Levy!"

Jellal and Gray frowned. "The woods are filled with bands of robbers like these, taking advantage of the conflict between Fairy Tail and Phantom." Jellal said with a shake of his head.

"That unrest could go on for weeks, months!" I said, barely managing to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Jellal," Carmen said, turning to flutter her eyelashes at him. "I agree with Miss Scarlet. If I were separated from my sisters for so long, not knowing where they were, I'd go crazy. And as I've expressed, I, too, would like to go into to town. Our wedding is not very far away, and there are many plans I must attend to."

"So you want us to escort four women to town now?" he asked in irritation, knowing Ava would want to come too. "In the middle of the worst times we've had in decades?"

We both stared at him, waiting him out. Who'd have guessed I'd ever be on the same side as Carmen?

"Fine," Jellal said, throwing up his hands. "We'll leave tomorrow. But only because my father wants us to take these men into town. And that's if they give us the information we need." He turned on his heel and walked off. And I turned away with a triumphant grin, resisting the urge to see if Carmen shared my feeling of victory.

 **Juvia POV**

"How do you feel?" I asked, pausing in the doorway the next morning with Erza.

Simon looked toward me. He had more color, despite his surly glance. "That was the most uncomfortable night I've ever spent but, I feel better than I have in weeks." He patted his chest. "Today, I can breathe again. Really breathe." He smiled, the spark in his eye made him resemble his cousins even more.

"It's truly a miracle," he said. "I am most grateful for your methods. You've done more for me in one day than all the doctors my uncle has ever brought."

"That is great!" Erza said, unable to suppress a grin. The hope on his face filled us with joy. We'd never done anything that had really helped someone like this before. It made me feel bad about what we had to tell him, so I just plunged forward with, "Juvia and her sister are leaving the castle today-"

"Leave? You cannot leave! I'm just now getting better!" I could see beneath his panic was a slight twing of saddness. "You two are the only ones who keep me company aside from my cousins. Everyone else is too scared to approach me because they think they'll get what I have."

"Don't worry too much yet! We're just going into town to look for our sisters there. It's not certain that we'll leave for sure yet! If we don't find our sister's there then I'm certain you cousins will drag us back here. Even if we didn't want to." Erza muttered that last part in english.

"What do my cousins say of this plan?" he asked. "I was told that the woods were full of bands of robbers."

"They say the same, but they and your uncle feel it's important to take their prisoners to town if they find out who their master is." I shuddered.

"But surely my cousins wouldn't allow a woman to such a long and tediouos ri-"

"Don't worry over us Simon. Once we arrive in town, we will be safe." Erza reasurred.

"The nearest town is a six hours ride from here."

 _'Six hours?! Did someone just decide to put two castles in the middle of the forest?!'_

"So, we'll just have to ride fast enough to make it in three, faster than any robbers or thugs." I said, more jauntily than I felt. I didn't want him to worry. It might send him into an asthma attack or something. "Juvia and her sister are fairly good with a sword," I said, walking to the only adornment to the room we'd allowed back into the room, six swords crossed in Xs on one wall. I ran my hand along one edge.

"Do not tell me that you two can wield swords as well as read."

"We can," Erza said, grinning at him over her shoulder.

"They raise women in Bellum quite differently than in Fiore."

"Very. Simon, Could Juvia and Erza borrow this one? We'd feel better if we were armed. Anyone who dared to attack us would be as surprised as you are to find us bringing a sword against them. It would give Juvia and Erza an advantage."

"Those are uncommonly heavy," he said. "They were my grandfather's."

 _'Trust me, that won't be a problem.'_

"Better than nothing," Erza pressed. After what happened two nights ago, we didn't dare try to steal from the armory and recover the short broadswords and daggers we'd worn before. "I could return it to you with one of your cousins if we don't return."

"If you must," he said doubtfully.

I smile with gratitude. "And another thing, Juvia asks you to continue on with what we have recommended. Work up to solid foods as soon as you can, and when weak, return to the soup."

"You can add blankets and other comforts and examine if they interfere at all with your breathing. If they do, remove them again. Understood?" Erza said with a slight authorative voice.

He nodded. "We never did get back to our reading," he said, fiddling with a splinter in the arm of his wooden settee. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. He was so desperately lonely. How would I feel if my friends left me each day, with nothing but books to keep me company? At least we had Internet.

 **A/N: That sounds like heaven to me personally**

"If we don't return, perhaps we'll meet again and we'll have the opportunity to read more together," I offered.

"That would be a delight," he said, his eyes meeting ours.

And with that we turned and left the room before I bursted into tears then and there. Oh, the irony. Juvia Lockser. Able to take down a large, strong man in a sword fight but can't handle simple goodbyes.

In the courtyard, Gray and his men were bent over in a circle. Jellal was drawing with a stick in the dust. A plan, I sensed; they were making a plan. My heart lifted when I heard the familiar sound of Pollux's hooves on the courtyard stone floor. He trotted towards me in excitement, the longing in his eyes visible. He immediatly placed his head on my shoulder so I could properly wrap my arms around his neck and stroke his mane. "Hello, Pollux! Did you miss Juvia?"

His response was to nibble on the collar of my shirt lightly, coaxing a giggle from me. He proceeded to once again tousle my hair by lifting my hat and plopping it back down on my head. It's almost as if he knew I had an apple up there for him. "Okay, okay! But only if you've been a good boy!" He bobbed his head up and down as if he understood me. I grinned and removed my hat to get the apple that was balanced on my head. Pollux shifted from foot to foot like an excited but impatient child.

"Steady..."I said as I placed the apple to balance on his forehead. Pollux held my gaze without moving. I grin and snap my fingers and almost immediatly he jerks his head up, catching and eating the apple mid-air. At that moment, Carmen and Ava emerged from the dining hall, accompanied by Makarov, Bora, and their ladies in-waiting. The girls looked a bit warry at the prospect of riding out in the middle of such danger. I turned away so they wouldn't see me rolling my eyes, and tried to feel compassion for her.

Macao arrived and lifted two sheaths to Erza and me. "Courtesy of Simon," he said. He quickly handed them to us, and I slid my sword inside. "If he continues with this I'll be a crying mess before we even leave the castle gates." I muttered in english as I hid the sword in the bag on Pollux's saddle that was probably meant to carry clothes and other toiletries. Erza barked out a loud laugh, surprising anyone nearby.

At that moment Gray and Jellal appear beside us. They lean down, and once again without warning I find myself biting back a shriek as he grips my waist and lifts me up to the saddle."No bareback riding today."

"Juvia realizes that," I bit back, unable to control my irritation. I mean, can't he give a warning?! _'Hey, I'm about to lift all hundred and something pounds of you onto your horse without so much as a grunt!'_

He paused and looked up at me. "We have enough to deal with guarding Ava, Carmen, and their ladies in waiting. Our knights are charged with the prisoners as well. You will ride beside Gajeel, right behind me. If you break formation or do anything to try my patience at all, I'll send you back here immediately and refuse to take you to town for a month. Understood?"

 _'Excuse Juvia? This boy is crazy if he thinks he can keep Juvia here for a whole month!'_

I clenched my lips and glared at him. "Could you be any more clear?"

He looked puzzled at my sarcasm.

"Juvia understood," I finally said. He left me then, even as Gajeel rode up. With his long black hair and dangerous red eyes, I immediately pair him up with Levy in my mind. Don't ask me why! It just seemed like it would be super cute! I giggled and he looked at me like I was crazy.

 _'Nothing Juvia's not used to by now.'_

"We've already told you," Carmen said to Jellal, her tone sweet but her words unbending. "It is unseemly for us to travel without our ladies in waiting. They are willing to take the risk."

I glanced behind us, back to the women two rows behind me. They did not appear at all willing.

 _'Selfish girl! Making those poor ladies do something they clearly don't want to do!'_ I looked back to Gray and Ava. Erza followed my line of sight and shool her head slightly. It was not our place to speak. _'Blend into the walls, Juv's.'_ I reminded myself again. _'Make them forget about you.'_

"Take close care, my children," Makarov said. "We will be anxiously waiting for your return."

"Aw! don't worry pops! We'll send a message as soon as we arrive in town!" Natsu said with his signature grin.

My eyes shifted back to a mule that was tied behind the last two guards. Cages with pigeons rested on either side of the mount. Homing pigeons, or messenger pigeons to be exact.

Makarov nodded and we immediately set off. I glanced at Ava and Carmen, who both had no problem at all in their saddles. I pouted at the unfairness and shifted uncomfortably, hoping to find peace with my own span of cursed leather. _'Perhaps Juvia's and Erza's rears are that much bigger than theirs,'_ I thought. The things in this time and dimension were probably meant for size fives, not our much more... curvaceous figure.

"Oi, you okay?" Gajeel rumbled beside me.

"Juvia will live," I muttered. I glanced at him, but his eyes were already tracing the forest, alert to any attackers huddling there. I looked down the line and saw that the other sixteen knights did the same. A shiver ran down my back. I was glad for the sword in the sheath hidden in the satchel.

Hours passed and we saw no sign of any robbers so we all relaxed a bit, enjoying the warming morning sun. In front of me, Gray and Ava were talking, and I realized they had some semblance of an honest relationship. She smiled at something he said, and he- sort of- smiled back. (It looked more like a grimance really, but lets give the guy some credit for trying.) Maybe they were actually in love. Who was I to judge? I had no idea, really, how love affairs were conducted in this place. I thought back to all the pointed looks Erza would give me every time Gray and I interacted, implying that he was interested in me.

I shook my head. It doesn't matter anyway. We were soon going to disappear.

About another hour or more into our ride, everyone seemed to settle down. There was something about being halfway there that made us feel like we were going to be okay. A scout that Jellal had sent ahead returned, and they brought us to a halt. The man reported a clear road, no sign of the rogue bands of robbers or Phantom Lord.

Gray shook his head and glanced back at Natsu. "It makes no sense. Phantom Lord could not have missed that we are on our way to town. They always have spies out, watching the road."

Gajeel did a quick three-sixty, and then his red eyes widened. "Get down!"

Everyone immediately ducked, instinct taking over. I could hear the singing whistle of arrows. I glanced to my left. Gajeel tugged me down from the saddle, using our two horses as shields. _'They are shooting at us,'_ I thought distantly, as if I wasn't in my own body. Ambush.

The men had been covered with gray cloth, blending into the granite boulders above us. But the archers were only the first volley. They were now swarming down over the rocks, like an army of Gollums with uncanny agility. Gray frowned at them and made a sound of frustration. He looked to Jellal.

"They purchased his loyalty," he said, jutting his chin toward the scout, who scurried over to the boulders.

I let out a humorless laugh. Some things never changed. For the right amount of money, one could always find a traitor.

They were getting closer.

Jellal looked back at Erza and I with alarm. "Can you keep your seat?"

"What?

"Can you keep your seat, on your saddle?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"I need you to ride ahead with the women. Your only chance is to outride any that give you chase. We'll send two men with you, but your best chance is to ride fast."

Erza and I nodded, not feeling it, but seeing no opportunity to disagree.

Gajeel tossed me- literally- back up to the saddle as Natsu did the same with Erza. They smacked our horses on the behind, and the animals lurched forward, nearly unseating me. I glanced back. The brothers were pressing through the knights and horses behind them, trying to get to Ava's and Carmens's ladies in waiting, to free them, too. Our horses, sensing the urgency, were churning down the road, and from the side, determined to keep us safe. I saw more men coming down the hill toward us, attempting to cut us off. "Ride faster!" Erza yelled to Carmen and Ava, who we had just caught up to.

They looked back over their shoulders and screamed toward their ladies in waiting to hurry. I leaned forward on my saddle, knowing speed was truly our only ally. We were more than halfway to town. If the forest was similar to what it was in our dimension back in the day, it should give way to farmland outside the town gates, we might reach safety sooner than we thought. Or at least someone to help us.

The last of the archer's on foot missed us by a only eight feet, roaring in dismay, but then turning to wave their arms, attempting to make the other approaching horses turn so they could capture the ladies in waiting behind us. Carmen and Ava pulled up on their reins at the next bend of the road. No one came into sight. "We cannot leave them," Ava sputtered, her horse prancing in a nervous circle around mine.

"You must get to safety! There are knights with your ladies in waiting. They will do their best to protect them." I really hated saying this but we had no other choice.

Still, she hesitated.

"You do them no good by getting captured yourselves!" Erza reminded. The pounding of hoofbeats grew closer, then, behind us.

"Go!" I urged.

In response, they lifted their reins and pressed their horses into action, Erza and I hot on their tail, trusting the knights to protect their ladies in waiting. One benefit of the sidesaddle, was that it's easier to see both in front and behind. I glanced back to see who it was, behind us.

One. One Fairy Tail knight.

Fantastic. Hardly reinforcements. I wished it had been Gray or one of his brothers. Then I might have been able to breathe. But at least it was better than none.

We turned around another bend in the road, and I sensed Carmen and Ava pulling up before I saw them. Another group of men, six of them. Three on the road, hands on their hips, three on either side. Just waiting for us. Ava jumped off her horse. "Come with us," she said lowly, then pushed into the woods, Carmen followed her.

Erza and I groaned. They had disappeared through a small gap in the trees. We pulled out our swords and slid off of Pollux and Castor, telling them to go get help. Bending as low as we could, well aware that men were charging up the road, toward us, we followed her, as did the knight behind us. My eyes searched the forest for a glimpse of my leader. I ducked under one branch after another, finally catching sight of the gold of the cloth of her dress.

But then, there she was, in a clearing before me, eyes wide in frustration and fear. We were in some ancient limestone canyon, blocked on three sides by twenty-foot cliffs. I looked back. The path in was filled by the knight, who looked around and groaned as soon as he saw our predicament. We could all hear the men crashing toward us.

"Climb, ladies," the lone knight said. "I'll hold them at bay. It is your only hope."

I had to hand it to Ava and Carmen. I thought they were far too prissy for such things, but they were immediately off. Ava helped Carmen to the top of the first boulder, and she turned to help her up. They turned to us and frantically waved us over. "Come! Hurry!"

"No," I said, with a shake of my head. "We will stay and assist him," I said, gesturing over my shoulder to the knight. The first of our attackers was now just ten feet away from him. "He cannot do it alone, and if he breaks, you two will be caught as well. Climb," Erza growled, unseathing her sword.

Carmen's and Ava's eye's all but popped out of their heads. They were brought back to reality when the clang of metal on metal was heard and they quickly turned and scrambled up another rock, and then another.

"You cannot hold us off alone!" barked a Phantom Lord knight, showing his allegiance with his violet colors. "Surrender or die."

"He is not alone," I said, heaving the sword into the air. "You'll have to get through us two as well."


	12. Chapter 12

**Erza POV**

The knight beside me- I think I heard his name was Redus- used the momentary surprise of the Phantom Lord knights to lunge forward, piercing the first man in the shoulder. Juvia and I hesitated, caught off guard by the blood that literally spurted from the gash in the man's cloak and flesh. But then I tensed. They were attacking now, and they were seriously cranky.

I glanced back and was relieved to see the two women, on a ledge twelve feet above us, reaching for their next perch. They were nearly to safety. At least we would die for something. Jellal and Gray clearly needed to marry those chicks for some reason.

 _'Maybe they'll name their first girls after us-'_

The four knights came closer to us, hands out in placating manner. "Now, this will not help you at all," said the first. "Women should never play with the weapons of men."

 _'When facing an opponent larger or stronger than yourself, use the element of surprise.'_

"No, they should not play with them," I said, adopting a guilty look and pretending to agree with him. "They should learn to wield them," Juvia said, already circling to gain the momentum we needed, "properly," I finished, ramming our swords into theirs. He and the guy beside him barely brought their own swords up in time.

I arced it upward and used the weight of it to bring it down at him again, from the other side. Again, he narrowly blocked my blow, eyes widening in understanding that we weren't pretending. "Aww, we have two lioness's here," he sputtered in a delighted but patronizing tone, beginning his attack. He was as large as Gajeel. Surprise, my temporary ally, was gone.

"Erza! Juvia!" cried both Carmen and Ava, now on top of the cliff.

"Go!" I called back in irritation. She wasted precious seconds with the theatrics. "Go for help!"

They were rushing right at us, all four of them, yelling ferociously. Juvia and I stood back to back, calm and calculating.

 _'Once the element of surprise is gone, be relentless- but don't tire yourself out. Anticipate their every move. You must always be two or three steps ahead.'_

We close our eyes and do as we were taught. A rush of air to my right. I lean to the left slightly and raise my sword, intercepting the hit. I can feel two of them rushing forward again. I block one hit with my sword and the other with my armored arm. Behind me Juvia matches me step per step.

Side.

 _Block._

Head.

 _Duck._

Strike.

 _Dodge._

The men quickly become even more frustrated- can you blame them? They're getting their asses handed back to them by girls- and they all rush at us with loud battle cries at the same time, intending to pierce us all at once from four different directions.

 _'Once you have them where you want them, attack!'_

"Juv's."

"Ready."

Almost as if it happened in slow motion, Juvia and I simultaniously shift so that the tips of their swords met harmlessly in the middle, hitting nothing. Before they can even react, I slam the hilt of my sword onto one of the mans face and elbow the other one in the nose. In front of me Juvia does the same, except she kicks the other man in the face with enough force to send him sprawling. None of them get up.

I turn to see Redus finish off his own opponent, and frowned. _'Weren't there si-'_

"AAH!"

"Juvia?!" I turned just I saw the missing man kick Juvia's side from behind. He caught her off guard!

My vision turns red as I see Juvia go down, her face crumpled in pain. The man had a satisfied look on his face until he caught sight of me. He had no time to think, only react, as I rushed forward with my sword. The imensity of the impact as my hit his sword caused him to drop his own sword. He cursed and shook his hands, trying to get the blood flowing back into them. His eyes widened when he realized I was swinging my sword again and he raised his arm to block the hit.

I don't know what stuff my armor was made out of, but it clearly wasn't the same as his because it dented and tore the metal pretty badly. The man's face crumpled in pain and I sent him flying with a spinning kick to his face. He slammed into the large boulder before shriveling down to the floor uselessly. I glared at him for a heartbeat before rushing back to Juvia's side.

"Juvia! Juvia! Talk to me! Are you okay? Where did he kick you?" I asked in english, growing more worried when her pained face didn't ease.

" _Donne moi une minute..._ "Juvia muttered, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Hey, Juvs, I don't speak french." I said nervously.

"One..moment..." She said breathlessly, slowly proping herself up on her elbow.

"They guy must've had quite a mighty kick to have you in pain like this."

"It wasn't the kick that hurt me," Juvia said as she pulled herself up to sit on a nearby log. "When I fell over the hilt of my sword rammed into my thigh."

I winced slightly. That had to hurt.

"Wh-what happened?" Redus asked wide eyed, staring at the mess of bodies loitering around us. He stared at us in open shock and mild fear. "Only a witch could do such a thing!"

"N-no! Please listen to us Redus! We are not witches! We are simply well trained!"

"Y-yes! Juvia's guardian made sure she and her sister's knew how to defend themselves in case there was no one there to help them!"

"And also, look! They're still breathing! If we were witches don't you think we would've finished them off?"

Redus seemed to take this all into account. "B-but still even if you aren't witches, what you've done is extrordinary! You've single-handedly taken down five Phantom Lord knights! What do you really want of Fairy Tail?"

We shook our heads, practically pleading with him to believe us. "The only thing we want is to find our sisters and to go back home. It'll be like we never crossed paths with Fairy Tail."

We never heard his response because at that moment Castor and Pollux crashed through the trees like some wild animals, Jellal not far behind.

"Redus! Where are the girls?!" Jellal exclaimed when he saw him alone.

Castor immediatly trampled past Redus and over any unconsious Phantom Lord knights and headed straight towards me. I raise from my crouched position to properly hug him tightly, thanking him for the reinforcements. Jellal came charging at us so fast I nearly raised my sword out of instinct.

"Erza." He said in relief when he was close enough to see my face clearly. _'Cause, yknow, the bright red hair didn't give away.'_

"Are you alright?"

I snorted. "Better than them." I said, jutting my head to the left. Jellal's eye's widened when he saw the floor littered with bodies.

"Whew! Redus you did this all on your own?" Exclaimed Natsu after he exploded into the clearing where we were located, Gajeel and Gray hot on his heels. "Remind me to spar with you next time!"

Redus only raised his arms in defeat. "As much as I would love to accept, you'll have to take that offer up with them."

All eyes followed the direction of where his arm was pointed till their gazed landed on us and the swords in our hands.

"...WHAT?! FIRST THEY GET CASTOR AND POLLUX TO LOVE THEM AND NOW THEY CAN FIGHT TOO?!?!?!" Fire spewed from Natsu's mouth as he ran around the forest screaming and raging.

"Gihi, I'm totally challenging both of you when we get back." Gajeel said with a vicious smirk.

Gray and Jellal, on the other hand, had their mouths wide open, ready to catch flies.

 **Juvia POV**

 _'Juvia thinks we broke Gray and Jellal...'_

I tried to do damage control. "It was six against one! We couldn't allow Redus to fight alone! And also it gave better chances for Ava and Carmen to get away!"

At the mention of their fiances they immediatly came back to their senses. "Where are Carmen and Ava?" Jellal asked as he looked around. Erza pointed at the top of the boulder. "Over there, they climbed the rocks."

"Carmen and Ava... _climbed_?" he said incredulously.

Erza nodded, trying not to smirk at the memory.

"This day is just full of surprises," Jellal muttered, running a hand down his face. "No other knights reached the top? They reached safety?"

"They never even got close," Erza said, nodding.

As Jellal continued to ask Erza questions about what happened I leaned heavily on my sword. Pollux, noticing this, began to trot in place in worry. Gray noticed his weird behavior and crouched beside me. "Juvia? Can you stand?"

"Of course," I said in irritation, not wanting to seem weak as they so usually implied for women. But as soon as I straightened, I grunted loudly, barely catching myself from crying out from the pain radiating from my thigh again. Erza turned around so fast her hair whiped in Jellals face.

"Juvia!" Gray said. "You're injured? I didn't see blood." He looked around where I was seated, his face a mask of confusion. I took a step, stumbled, nearly fell, but Gray caught me and picked me up in his arms.

"Th-this is unnessecary Gray!" I yelled, lowering my head so my hair would hide the blush rising in my cheeks.

"I will not let it go until you tell me what happened. Were you...were we too late?"

"Were you too- NO!" I yelled, figuring out what he meant. "Please, let Juvia go," I said, squirming in his arms. "Release Juvia!" It was far too intimate, and my mind and heart were a mash of jumbled emotions and thoughts. Gently, he set me down where I could partially sit up on a boulder. Erza came and touched my shoulder. I nodded, telling her I was okay.

Jellal and Gray stood before us. "What happened? Out with it."

Erza sighed. "One of the knights managed to sneak behind Juvia and kick her, when Juvia fell the hilt of her sword came ramming down into her thigh."

"It's nothing serious! Juvia thinks she just has a bruised muscle. Nothing that won't heal in a few days." I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. It didn't work, the look on Gray's face was one of barely unleashed fury.

 _'Is he...mad at Juvia?!'_ I thought with an incredulous expression.

"How many men did you lose?" Erza finally asked after a silent moment.

"Five. And one of the ladies in waiting suffered an arrow wound."

Silence hung in the air as we soaked that information in. Finally Jellal broke the silence. "Come on. We'll help you get on your horses. We need to meet up with the others and find Ava and Carmen."

Before I could say a word, Gray lifted me again in his arms and carried me to my horse _'dajfbaubfwiebfwbaqrftgyjhuklkmnbgvfdrsxzaqazwsxxdcfrvtgyuj-'_ He set me down alongside Pollux and then looked down at me.

"Juvia," He said after letting out a sigh. "I...I want to thank you, if it hadn't been for you and your sister, Redus, Ava, and Carmen probably wouldn't have made it."

"Oh, erm, uh..." I said intellectually. "Uhh, yeah don't mention it."

He looked amused at my embarrased reaction before- once again without warning- lifting me onto my saddle. He glances at me wierdly when I try to play off the my slight shriek by clearing my throat.

 **Erza POV**

After a very sappy- and hilarious- reunion, we continued on our way. Ava and Carmen were so grateful that they said they would speak to their fathers- which apparently were some big hotshots of this dimension- about helping us find Levy and Lucy.

I was informed by Natsu that the injured woman was taken to a nearby village where her wound would be tended to.

About two and a half hours of chatting with Gajeel and Nastu later, a group of men thundered down the road toward us. Soldiers that guard the town, I guessed, patrolling the road. In minutes, they reached the front of our group and paused to speak with Jellal and Gray. They were strong, men at the height of physical perfection, like our modern Navy SEALs. The leader looked beyond Jellal and caught my eye. I stared blankly back at him. Were they like this everywhere, in this dimension? Or was it just the ones we was running across?

Jellal followed the captain's gaze, and I saw the muscle in his cheek clench. _'What was that about?'_

"Hey Natsu," I said lowly. "Your brothers marriage, It's important to both families, right?"

He nodded his head "Yes, it's long been arranged. To go against our father's wishes would mean that Jellal would bring terrible consequences down on our family. You've seen for yourself that we live on the front lines of the conflict."

Of course, Juvia and I manage to fall for the unavailable guys.

I glanced forward again, and my heart skipped when I discovered Jellal gesturing toward me and Juvia, motioning for us to come forward. Natsu, Gajeel, Juvia, and I move to the front of the line together, as we neared the front the captain kindly smiled at me. Not wanting to be rude I returned his small smile.

"Erza," Jellal said, his tone a little sharp, like a scolding. I looked at him, and he cleared his throat. "I'd like you to meet Captain Orlando, Carmen's cousin."

"Captain," I said with a small nod.

"Miss," he returned. His green-brown eyes had a fun, mischievous glint to them. But then his face became more stern. "Tell me, your attackers... were any of them not in the Phantom Lord color violet?"

I frowned, thinking. "I think they were all from Phantom Lord. But it happened so quickly..." I shook my head and looked at Juvia.

"Juvia really didn't pay much attention to what they were wearing."

"I understand," he said, giving me another gentle nod. He looked to Jellal "We will find them, and bring them to justice. Attacking Carmen and Miss Ava like that was a foolish thing to do, knowing how powerful their families are. I will speak to Ava's father of this as well."

"Had they fallen into their hands," Gray said gravely, "they would've been the perfect tool for leverage."

Orlando's horse danced beneath him, anxious to be on his way. "We will go and remind them that such a tactic should never be considered again."

He had just turned when Carmen said, "Take care, Cousin."

"I will." He paused and to my surprise met my eye again, just for a moment, then back Carmen. "There is a going to be a ball in two days. I hope that all your guests will be there."

Okay, so what was the deal? In our time- and dimension- guys barely gave us the time of day. Here, we caught the eye of everyone we met. It was hardly fair. My head buzzed with all the attention. Maybe they sensed we were different somehow, and that intrigued them.

The soldiers thundered off, leaving six to serve as our rear guard, leaving no room for further attack.

"Gajeel-,"

"Natsu-"

"Do you dance?" we said together once the captain was out of sight.

"Are you asking us to accompany you?" Natsu brought his hand to his chest and fluttered his eyelashes as if I had asked him to prom. Gajeel rolled his eyes at his reaction.

"No," I said, stifling a smile at his messing around. "We're asking if you can teach us the proper steps of the dances of Fiore. I am certain they're different from those of... Bellum."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Certainly. It would be my pleasure."

"Thank you," I said, hating the embarrassed blush that crawled up my neck. "It comforts me," I rushed on. "Your friendship."

He studied me with his steady, green eyes before giving me his signature grin. To my left Juvia was staring expectantly at Gajeel with a huge smile on her face while he desperately tried to avoid her gaze. Eventually he glanced down at her and sighed at her excited expression.

"One hour." He grumbled while nudging his horse to move ahead so we couldn't see his slightly embarrassed look. Juvia squealed and hugged him before he got to far.

"Hey! Watch it woman!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Juvia got excited!" Juvia giggled and tugged on his hair lighty, much like a little sister would do.

"Tch." Gajeel glared the other way, but it wasn't difficult to see that he was secretly fond of Juvia. I couldn't help but grin at their interaction. _'In another life they would be the best of friends.'_


	13. Chapter 13

**Juvia POV**

Traffic on the road increased as we got closer to the town- wagons on carved wooden wheels, chickens in twig cages, small boys driving tired milk cows- but it was the towns high, red walls that captured my attention. The town looked pristine, clean, and grand. I gawked at the many towers, careful not to lean too much on my bruised thigh as I leaned back slightly.

We rode forward, ignoring the pigs and goats that were nearly trampled in our wake, as well as their irate keepers. _'Sorry!'_ I winced slightly.The people divided before us, as if they knew that we came from Fairy Tail, and on we climbed, curving up the cobblestone street. If Lucy and Levy are here, they're most likely in the middle of town. My heart surged with hope and excitement. It took everything in me to maintain my place in line and submit to the dull, clopping rhythm of our train. Erza looked just as anxious to race past the others and search for them.

 _'What if they're there, now? Giving up on us? Wandering off, deciding to try somewhere else?'_ I shake my head to clear any negative thoughts from it. _'No! Juvia must have hope! Stay there, Lu and Lev. If you're here, stay there.'_

"Oi, what's wrong?" Gajeel asked, peering down at me.

"Juvia is just eager to get to the middle of town," I said.

"Oh, we can go after we greet Ava's family," Natsu said. "We'll go right after."

Erza and I looked at him in horror. "No, you don't understand. We need to know right away if they're there, waiting us."

They studied us closely. "And what if they're not?"

Not there? If they weren't here, where could they be? I wasn't ready to deal with the idea that they hadn't made the jump at all. To think we were all alone here, with only each other to help figure out a way back. Natsu lets out a high pitched whistle and makes a circle motion with his finger. Gray and Jellal look at us then back to them and nod. Natsu turned back towards us and grinned. "Shall we go?"

We nod gratefully and I begin to check out every blonde I saw while simultaneously keeping an eye out for a small bluenette, but I seemed to be the only bluenette here, given how people openly stopped and gawked at my blue hair and Erza's fiery red hair. We ignored the hushed whispers and the occasional 'Witch..' comment that slipped from the crowds and continued to search among the people, but all the blondes in the town were dull compared to Lucy's bright gold-like hair. Erza placed a comforting hand on my shoulder when itbegan to slump slightly.

"Don't lose hope Juvs," Erza whispered in english. "Maybe they're on their way to the middle of town now, on this very street." I nodded and sat up straighter.

 ***Timeskip***

"Drink," Gajeel demanded me, leaving no room for argument.

I blinked at him and the cup he was holding for a moment before taking it from his grasp. Tears begin to fill my eyes and my shoulders shake slightly as I swirl the cups contents absentmindedly while staring down at it. We didn't find them in the middle of town. We searched and asked around, but no one has seen anyone that matched either of their descriptions. I grip the cup tightly in an attempt to compose myself. Erza places her hand gently over mine and squeezes it.

 _'Juvia is not alone. Juvia must have hope!'_ Taking a deep breath I drink the water in one gulp and lean my head back on the wall behind me.

"I take it, you didn't find them?" Natsu said while approaching.

I shook my head. "Juvia thought for a moment she saw someone that resembled Lucy in hair and stature but it was not her. Lucy is far more beautiful than that woman I saw."

Natsu's green eyes widened with wonder. "I will help you all the more in your mission to find them!" he declared loudly.

Erza and I giggled nervously at his antics. I had no doubt Natsu would fall in love with Lucy, we weren't kidding when we said she was pretty, we were more worried about her accidentally breaking his poor heart when we leave! Or, heaven forbid, he might even ask for her hand in marriage! Lucy would absolutely freak out. They did seem to wed pretty young in this dimensions age. We need to get back to the tomb with Lucy and Levy ASAP. It was our only logical way back home. But our last two encounters in the woods told we couldn't get there alone, sword or not. We needed an escort. And that would take some serious finagling.

"Come on," Gajeel gruffed. "We've delayed your introductions long enough."

I sigh and stand up following close behind them as they lead us up a flight of stairs, to a grand salon that took up the entire length of the building on this level. Gray, Ava, Jellal, and Carmen were sitting beside a small, gray-haired man who sat in a throne-like chair, telling him tales of our journey. He frowned in fear and then clapped in glory when he heard of his daughter's climb to safety. Ava looked up then, and caught sight of us.

"And these, these, Father, are the heroic woman who came to our rescue." Ava rushed over to me and dragged me to him, Carmen doing the same to Erza. I felt like a giraffe next to her, being inspected by a new zookeeper. "They pulled swords from their saddles and wielded them like fierce warriors!"

He studied us, then rose and took my hand. He looked up at me. "I am indebted to you," he said. He bent and kissed my hand, then he turned and did the same to Erza. Erza and I blushed heavily in embarrassment and struggled to respond. "My daughter tells me you have become separated from your family," he continues. "In gratitude to you, my sole goal will be to see you reunited."

"Thank you," Erza said sincerely, speaking for the both of us. I was too busy trying not to cry, he was being so kind and genuine it brought tears to my eyes.

"You are exhausted. The day has clearly tired you. Someone will see you to your room, and we will speak more of it this evening, or if you prefer, tomorrow. Good?"

"Thank you," I manage to say. Ava bent to speak in a servant's ear, and the woman came over to me. "Come, Miss. I'll see you two to your quarters."

We followed behind her, Erza helped me limp up the stairs, rejecting the servants offer to help. At the top, the woman pulled a ring of keys from her belt and unlocked the first along the hallway. I peered down it there appeared to be about eleven more. She opened it and gestured inward. "Please."

I limped forward and went directly to the window of the narrow room. There two beds, a chair, a table, and this, the window, overlooking the town. I pushed open the shutter and looked down on the well. People swirled about it, but no blondes or tiny bluenettes among them.

We're awakened to maids knocking on our door.

"We are here to assist you with your baths." They said. My eyes widen and Erza and I looked at each other nervously. 'Juvia is perfectly capable of bathing herself…' But even now I could feel the dirt and grime from our trip and we were more than eager to wash it off. Besides, something told me that arguing with these maids would only bring unwanted attention to us, so we followed them.

"Um… Erza?" I said when we entered our room again from our baths. "What is that?" I point to the two beautiful dresses laying on our beds.

We stood there gaping for a moment before slowly approaching what I could only equate with a wedding gown. Except, the one on Erza's bed was an elegant green dress and the one on my bed was light purple. It seemed to be endless too! It just kept coming, yards and yards of fabric.

Too scared to actually touch it, I step back to marvel at it some more. It looked like the finest silk I had ever seen. But the waist was so narrow I wondered if we would even be able to get into it. Dimly, I remembered one of the servants saying something about how Erza's dress had been meant for Simon's nuptials and that my dress had once belonged to Grays mother.

Erza turned to me asking "Can we really wear that? I mean, they don't really symbolize the best of things..."

I was silent for a moment. "Does it matter? We have nothing else to wear to a ball and Juvia is certain they won't allow you to waltz in there in all your armored glory..."

 _'Besides, these dresses are so gorgeous it would hurt not to wear them.'_ I thought while placing a careful finger over it. Erza sighed and said. "Guess we better startworking on the ten-mile run that will allow us to sweat off enough weight to wear it tomorrow."

I eyed the narrow hourglass of a bodice and shuddered. I wasn't going to be able to breathe all night, let alone dance. Suddenly, I wished Gray's mother had been a large matron instead, given to tent dresses rather than tight-fitting gowns designed to draw the eye of every man in the room. I shook my head in wonder. "She must have been amazing… Juvia wishes she could have met her."

A knock sounded at our door, causing me to jump. "Just a moment!" Erza called as we quickly put on our regular clothes.

Natsu stood there, a crooked grin on his lips. "You've been cooped up in this room all day!

Lets go!" he said, lifting his hand. "You can see the entire town well where I'll take you. Also, I do believe we owe you a lesson in dancing."

Gajeel grumbled something under his breath.

I lifted my brows. I mean, I know I asked, but I didn't think he'd actually pull through!

"Come, come," Gajeel said in annoyance, flicking his fingers, sensing my hesitation. "I want this hour done with already. I alreadyfound someplace private where we can practice."

I studied him a moment before grinning widely. It was far better to suffer embarrassment with him, someplace private, rather than in the middle of a ballroom floor.

 **Erza POV**

They lead us up a narrow stair, then another, and still another, until Gajeel pulled Juvia into a large empty ballroom and Natsu lead me up another flight of stairs that lead to the rooftop. I turned, full-circle, in wonder at the view. Past the towers and the town wall, I could see miles of green rolling hills. "It is marvelous," I said.

"Ehh, it's alright," he grinned. He closed the door and then turned to stare at me, crossing his arms. "So, how much dance do you actually know?"

"Umm.. None?"

"Hmm. Okay then! I enjoy a challenge." Natsu stepped forward, determined. He placed my right hand on his shoulder and grabbed my left hand.

"Okay, first bring your feet together and then step forward with left foot. Yes, like that! Now, step to right side with right foot and bring feet together again. Mmhm! Now step backwards with right foot and step to left side with left foot. Bring your feet together again aaaand let's take it from the top!"

I nodded and moved into his arms. We made it through the first three counts, and then I missed the step. He released me and then looked at me, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if exasperated, as if we had gone through it a hundred times.

"That was once! How many times were you taught?"

He cocked a brow, apparently reluctant to give me room to fail. He flicked his fingers forward. "Let's give it another try," he said tiredly, acting as though we'd been at it all night. "This time, close your eyes. Think only of the rhythm."

I sighed, trying to get above my frustration. I closed my eyes and listened to the beat of the dance, along with his counting, feeling the shifts, the pause at the end, then resuming. "Good, good," he encouraged.

On and on he went. "Ahh, yes. That is it. Perfect!" he said.

I couldn't fight the smile forming on my face. "I'm going to release you for a moment, but keep going, as if someone else is taking my place."

His hands left me, but then slid back in place, at my waist, but wrapping a bit more behind my back this time, as if a tiny bit more possessive.

My eyes fluttered open and encountered Jellal.

I stopped, glancing at Natsu, his profile aglow in the setting sun. He shrugged "He wanted to brush up on his dancing skills." I looked up to Jellal and stared hard into his eyes. "He wanted to brush up on his dancing skills with sword-carrying girl with a thing for running off?" I asked.

"Tonight that is my wish," he said, his voice strangely husky, his eyes unwavering. He began to count off the dance again, and I, apparently devoid of will, followed it.

"Has Natsu taught you this one?" he asked, raising both hands to me, palm up.

I frowned and shook my head, then glanced toward Natsu. He was gone. I sighed. I was alone with Jellal, receiving a dance lesson. This was a disaster waiting to happen. I could do nothing but place my hands in his.

"This is an eight-count dance," he said, staring down at me with all earnestness.

He dropped my hands and counted it out, as if I were in his arms, closing his eyes, turning at the fifth count, and again at the seventh.

"Tricky," I said, raising a brow.

"The key is following your partner's lead," he said, a teasing glint in his eyes. He cocked his head. "Tell meErza, can a woman who can wield a sword find her place on the dance floor?"

"I think they're very similar," I said, moving toward him, placing my hands in his. "Swordplay is a dance of sorts, except that in a fight, one must take the unexpected step. In dance it is all about taking the right, expected step."

He began counting the dance, turning me at count five and seven. I moved with him, without hesitation, and the eighth count found my left hand in his, at chest level, and my right hand above my head, facing him. Our mouths were inches away from each other. "I believe you have this mastered, Erza," he said, still not releasing me, still staring into my eyes.

"I believe you have taught me well," I returned, staring steadily back at him, my heart pounding in my chest so hard I swear he could hear it. We continue to stare at each other. My eyes widen as I realized the small space between us was becoming even smaller. Until...until...

I suddenly turned away when thoughts began to cascade through my mind. Whatever I thought was happening here, could not.

It could cost a great deal. For me. For him. For Fairy Tail.

"Erza?" he asked. "Erza," he said, dropping his tone, in such an enticing manner, I nearly turned.

"You need to go, Jellal," I said. "Leave. Juvia and I…. We only represent danger for you. Loss. All you need is below us, in this house."

Jellal was silent for a moment, before quietly responding. "How can you be so certain? Maybe there is something else for me. Something no one even saw coming?"

My heart pounded in my chest even more. He was speaking of me. I drew in a shaky breath. What could I promise him? A girl who would disappear into the future? No, it wasn't fair….

Gathering my courage, and bracing myself for a life full of regret I speak.

"Jellal, I have a _fiance_ …"

 **A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHA I'M SORRY I JUST HAD TO!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! OK ON THE THE REAL THING:**

I looked back to give him a pretty speech, some small comfort, but he was already gone through the gaping door.

I stared for a long time at that empty doorway, recognizing that I had killed any chance to be with the hottest guy I had ever run across. But it was for a good reason, a solid reason. I was being responsible.

I tried to swallow the regret that filled my throat, tried to feel assured, courageous. But I couldn't even manage that.

My mouth was dry.

And my heart was empty.


	14. Chapter 14

**Erza POV**

"HE WHAT?!" Juvia shrieked that night I told her.

"Jellal danced with me and basically told me he was….. Interested in me." I said with a sigh while plopping down on my bed.

Juvia stared at me for a moment before squealing. Loudly.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~ THAT'S SO CUTE!!! ASDFJKLASDFJKLASDJFKL- WAIT A MINUTE…." She turned her head towards me with an elated expression before realizing that I was neither squealing along with her or blushing. A dark heavy aura- a quirk that she probably picked up from me- settled around her as she asks me. "What did you tell him?!"

I fiddled with my thumbs. "I- It can't happen Juvia… We aren't from here! He is supposed to marry Carmen! For the safety of Fairy Tail! You've seen it yourself! They need as many allies as they can get!"

"What. Did. You. Tell. Him." Juvia ground out through clenched teeth, her hair flying in a medusa-like fashion to show how angry she was.

I bit my lip and looked away. "I told him I had a fiance…" I mumbled, but Juvia heard me loud and clear.

"...YOU WHAT!?" She roared loudly, threatening to take down the tower given the way it shaked. "How could you do that?!"

"He needs to forget about me! And since he won't really listen to my reasoning on why it can't happen, I lied! It's better this way!"

Juvia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "And did it not occur to you that if we don't find a way back soon, that people will begin to ask questions of your supposed fiance?!"

"All the more reason to find Lucy and Levy faster." I said lay back on my bed with my arm draped over my eyes. I could hear Juvia pace for a few moments before taking a seat beside my bed.

"It can't happen Juvia. Time travel aside, you know why it can't happen."

"...Yeah, Juvia knows.."

I nod without moving my arm from its place. The last thing I hear as I surrender to sleep is Juvia whisper.

"Juvia has a bad feeling about the ball tomorrow…"

In my dreams that night, I did all the steps Natsu taught me. And no, it wasn't the cool, romantic dreams, all about Jellal and his warm hands and strong arms, holding me. No, they were all the nerdy counting thing, freaking out when I missed a step. Call me a perfectionist but I just knew I was about to mess this up.

Juvia and I paced the room for hours before it began, already in our gorgeous gowns. Tonight, Ava's father would share with all his friends and acquaintances that two girls were here, looking for their sisters. In days we would know if one or both of them were here …or if we were all alone.

With a sigh I open the door and we walk out of the room. We managed to make it down the steps without catching a toe in our skirts and tumbling all the way to the bottom. I thought that was a major plus. Natsu and Gajeel were waiting for us. Natsu grinned and said "Finally! Lets go I'm starving!"

I smiled and looked ahead, catching a glimpse of Jellal's blue hair and Carmen's light brown gown.

"Hurry up already!" Natsu said excitedly while grabbing my hand and pulling me. I let him because honestly, the last thing I wanted was to go to this party alone.

 **Juvia POV**

I tried to ignore the pain in my thigh- which was now only a massive, purple-green bruise- and focused on not tripping. As a part of Ava's family party, I somehow represented them. I didn't want anything to get in the way them helping in us search. Like falling flat on my face in the middle of the dance floor. That would not be good.

I couldn't see Gray at the moment- there were hundreds of people in the big room- but I caught sight of Ava's father, and when he pointed in my direction and the man with him regarded me, I turned to Gajeel. "Could you tell Juvia where she can get some water to drink?"

Gajeel studied me suspiciously before saying "I'll get it for you."

I didn't argue, I mean, I already tried to run away once I can understand why he was unwilling to leave me on my own. I smiled in gratitude and he sauntered away in the direction of the kitchen. I walked over to a chair at one of the long tables and took a seat there. There were place cards among the hand-blown, red crystal goblets, in a delicate, artistic script, and I realized that they seated me in between Gajeel and someone else I didn't know.

I knew that upstairs was another grand salon- I remembered it from the tour. It was probably going to be where the dancing would happen after dinner. I cast aside my concerns over remembering the dances when I saw Gajeel, with my water, as well as Ava's father and a another man approaching me. I hurriedly took a sip before the men arrived, then set the glass down on the table before rising to greet them. Introductions were made. A description of Lucy and Levy was shared. The man had reach, across hundreds of miles, to the east of Fiore, he said, and he promised to tell everyone he knew to be looking for them.

"I'm curious does your mother resemble you?"

"Juvia is not certain, Juvia is an orphan. She was raised by her guardian with her sisters."

"Well, whoever she was," he said, leaning in toward me, "she must've been a lovely woman. The room is abuzz about you and your sister's beauty. With hair the color of the river, and such expressive eyes…." He leaned back, chin in hand. "If you choose to stay in Fiore instead of returning to Bellum, I have no doubt you could find a suitable husband."

I leaned back. How was I supposed to respond to that!? Why no, you creepy old man, looking at me like I'm a sweet little sow ready to be bred. I'm only seventeen! I have my whole life ahead of me!

Gajeel coughed and leaned in, suppressing a glare. "We are doing our best to convince them of course, sir."

I flashed a hesitant smile as the men laughed and patted Gajeel on the back. At that moment a servant called out that dinner was ready, and conversation moved to the long lines of tables as we all took our seats. I saw Gray and Ava then. They were hard to miss, seated directly across the twelve-foot-long table from me. I looked everywhere but at Gray, and he carefully did the same.

Red wine was poured into the goblets, and I was thankful I had sent Gajeel in search of some water. I needed to keep my wits about me, especially with the dance still ahead of us. I scanned the entire room trying to familiarise myself when I accidentally glanced in Gray's direction and found him looking at me. Our eyes met, held, and then he broke away. _'Juvia supposes he is still angry about the sword fighting incident.'_ I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. So I was caught off guard, so what?

I looked to Ava. "Ava," I said. "Juvia is very grateful to your father and you for your help in searching for Juvia's sisters."

She smiled at me. "It is our pleasure."

I understood her more in that moment. She wanted to help me; she truly was grateful. But I saw then that if she could reunite me with my beloved family, I would disappear from her life. Her worst nightmare was that I would decide to remain at Fairy Tail. _'Don't worry. Juvia will be out of your territory soon.'_

But the thought of it sent a pang of grief through me as I look over to Gajeel. Oh, I would miss him so much! I think I'd even miss Natsu! With his loud raging self wanting to fight everyone. And especially Simon. Dear sweet Simon… Everything in me wanted to look at Gray in that moment, but I knew I could not. I might look at him and never look away. Instead, I focus on the food that was being served.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly in relief when the music began about an hour later and people began leaving the tables. As much as I wasn't really excited about hitting the dance floor, it was bound to be less excruciating than sitting here, across the table from him. Ava's father still had more people to introduce Erza and I to, which might mean I could just do a few dances but spend most of my time talking.

Gajeel rose and pulled out my chair. Together with Erza and an 'all fired up' Natsu, we walked to the dance floor. Windows had been cast wide, letting the evening breeze flow through, perhaps so the music could flow out as well, to the locals below, eager to catch an echo of the fine party. I drifted over to one and looked around, but I saw no blonde or blue haired women.

I turned as Ava's father approached, introducing us to a stern, tall gentleman, who checked us out like he didn't trust us. Perhaps we were moving from friendliest to meanest in the crowd.

"Be careful around him," Gajeel whispered in my ear and I nodded in return. I had the immediate impression that this man missed nothing. That he could take in a room and name everyone in it from memory. He looked me over like he was going to paint my portrait later, slowly moving over every inch of my face. My skin pricked, and goose bumps ran down my back. Why, exactly, had Gajeel warned me about him?

Ava's father made the introductions, as he had with all the rest, but his tone was much more cool and aloof. Civil, but barely. What had this man, Mard Geer was his name, done? I only became more alarmed when Gray and Jellal appeared, to flank us. They had avoided us all evening. Were we in some physical danger with this Mard Geer guy?

But the man merely listened to our story, told by Ava's father, and studied me and Erza the whole time. As if our faces might portray some nuance that would give him insight. I fought the desire to squirm under his intense gaze.

"Bellum," he said. My jaw all but dropped when I realized he was speaking in french. He studies even more. _"Ou habitez-vous exactement en Bellum?"_

He was asking me where exactly did we live. I hesitated, panicking slightly as I tried to remember the map on the tomb wall .

"Near the border near Pergrande kingdom," I answered calmly in french. Erza and Lucy could barely speak french, perhaps I could make it seem believable if we live near the border.

His lips thinned in a wise smile. _"Je connais bien la frontière, "_ he said.

My heart skipped a beat. Just my luck. The dude knew it well.

 _"Ou est votre maison situee?"_

He wanted to know where our home was, specifically. I try to remember the terrain on the map. _"Un manoir pres de la riviere."_ Near the river.

"Ahh," he said approvingly. _"Un endroit charmant."_

I don't think I took a full breath until he finally nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Erza reached over and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Had he bought it? I didn't think so. Not really. Ava's father took a deep breath, made his excuses and departed, and Gray turned to the window. "So, Juvia assumes you should have warned her of him."

"Yeah," Gray said.

"Why?"

"He is a wizard suspected of spying for Phantom Lord," he said lowly. My eyes widen and look to Erza who mirrored my expression. If he's a wizard he could be more dangerous than we anticipated. But how did a suspected spy of Phantom Lord remain in the upper crust of Fiore society when emotions ran so hot? The guy had to be buying his way in, somehow. Wasn't that how it was done, regardless of the era? Or dimension?

"Come on, Erza," Natsu said, trying to lighten the mood. "Lets see if you remember the steps!"

The floor erupted in polite applause as the previous song ended. Some moved from the lines, others moved into them, as Natsu and Erza did. I look at Gajeel but found him purposefully avoiding my gaze. I pouted a little and he rolled his eyes. "One dance." he grumbled and I smiled and nodded. I refrained from looking for Gray and Ava, and focused only on Gajeel, determined to get the steps right.

The music- performed by a small orchestra of lutes, flutes, and violins- began again. We moved in time to it, and I gasped at the glory of everyone doing the same move at the same time. It was as if I was a part of society in a whole new way, connected to them all, in this shared experience. How I wished we would dance like this in my own time! It was refined, flirtatious, fun. I clapped in perfect time and turned, smiling back at Gajeel.

"That...wasn't bad at all," he whispered, nodding at me in admiration.

"I had a decent tutor," I whispered back. He rolled his eyes but couldn't fight the slight smile forming on his face.At that moment Carmen's cousin, the guy that had been eyeing Erza before we arrived in town, approached, and Gajeel reluctantly released me into his care. I danced with him next, then two others.

Seriously. If the guys were this hot in this dimension, their had to be some in our dimension right? I had to convince Erza, Levy, and Lucy to leave the ruins and go to the city. It would make our summers so much more fun.

But then Mard Geer came near, and the hair on the back of my neck stuck up again.

"Sorry sir." Gajeel tried to intervene, again at my side. "But Juvia promised the next dance to me."

"I will wait," he said, bowing his head a little, still staring at me. Was that a tiny smile on his lips? My heart skipped a beat. There was no way I could have an extended conversation with the man.

We moved off, and I fumbled through the steps this time, too aware that Mard Geer was boring two holes into me with his stare. "Do I have to dance with him?" I whispered, as Gajeel came by me again in our group's circle.

"Just once," he said, angrily. "Make it through, and you can fake a headache. I'll lead you out."

"All right," I said.

I clapped with little enthusiasm for the end of the song, and then he was there, in front of me, offering one hand, palm up. He was over six feet tall, about forty. And he never released me with his dark eyes.

I took a misstep, and he began to count with me in a low, whispered French. "That's it, Juvia, that's it," he said, as if soothing a lost kitten. As far as I knew, few dared to speak to a relative stranger using their first name. It was reserved for people who really knew you. People who'd earned it.

I concentrated on my count and steps, looking over his shoulder, refusing to meet his gaze. I was proud of myself for not messing up again, then got all irritated at the thought of his believing it was because he counted for me, like a patient instructor. We were on the last round. I took his hand again and then couldn't resist staring back into his eyes. He was handing me a slip of paper. There was the tiny smile again. A smile of victory, like he had me already.

The dance ended, and I slipped the note into my waistband and clapped, side by side with the tall man. He smiled and leaned over to me, as if to thank me for the dance, but instead he whispered, "Make your excuses and meet me alone, out in the courtyard, in the far corner. _En toute hate, s'il vous plait."_ 'In all haste, please. Hurry.' He smiled and then nodded cordially before sauntering off, as if he was your average dance partner, off to catch a cup of punch or something.

Gajeel arrived. "Are you alright?" he whispered, taking my elbow. "You look ill. What did he say?"

"Nothing, nothing," I muttered.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No. Not yet." I had to shake him, if I was to read the note in privacy. "Gajeel, would you please get Juvia another glass of water?"

He studied me a moment and then left.

I looked around for Erza and found her chatting with Natsu. Meeting my gaze I motioned that I would be right back. She nods and mouths 'be careful' to me and I nod in return before moving around a pillar and down a small hallway. Finding a door unlocked, I slipped inside and moved over to the window, where the moon was just barely bright enough for me to read the note.

 _'Votre recherche se termine avec moi. Je sais ou est votre soeur.'_

Your search ends with me. I know where your sisters are.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Please take this chapter as an apology for being so far behind in updating my other fanfic!!! I made it extra long!**

 **Juvia POV**

I slipped down the staircase, knowing that Gajeel was probably already where he left me, glass of water in hand. I had to hurry.

I moved through the dining hall, where servants were clearing the tables, and out into the courtyard. The moon was climbing higher in the sky, casting deep, spooky shadows. A couple moved through, whispering to each other, then, spotting me, hurried off. I swallowed hard, wishing I had that glass of wine now. I'd down it in one gulp. Maybe it'd give me the courage I needed to face the creep. I lifted my chin and pulled back my shoulders, refusing to appear afraid, even if I was terrified inside. He knew where Levy and Lucy were.

I moved down through the ground-floor, looking left and then right, wondering if I had misunderstood him. But then I saw his silhouette in the far corner, leaning against a wall, casually waiting on me.

I stopped, a few feet off, and looked back. We were alone for the moment. "You know where Juvia's sisters are?" I whispered in French.

"I do." He pushed off the wall and walked around me. "You may drop your French now, Juvia. It is near perfect, but I know you are not who you pretend to be."

I made myself stand still, to bear his stare. He didn't touch me. But it was like he had.

"You resemble them."

"No, Juvia does not. You are playing with Juvia. You have not seen them." I turned to leave.

He reached out and touched my arm, deceptively gentle. "I have. They are with Phantom Lord."

I froze, hands on my skirts. Phantom Lord. Impossible. Right? Or most probable of all…. I had convinced myself we would've gotten to them before they had the chance.

Slowly, I turned to face him.

"Come closer, Juvia," he said. "What I have to tell you is for you and your sister to know alone."

I moved closer, and he offered his hand. Reluctantly, I reached up to take it, and he pulled me into the corner, until my back was against the wall. "You did not let me finish. Lucy and Levy resemble you and your sister, not in eye or hair color, but in your personalities. It is unmistakable. Also they've described you both. I knew it was you as soon as I saw you."

He stepped back, letting me absorb his words.

Two sets of boots came running into the courtyard.

Mard Geer pressed a hand against my mouth and pushed me into the wall. "Stay… still," he hissed.

It was Gray and Gajeel, hands on the hilts of their swords, searching around madly, but they barely paused to peruse the shadows before they were off. They thought I had gone out... probably home or to the town square.

"What do you want from us? Why not take Juvia and Erza immediately to them?"

He let out a humorless laugh. "There are a hundred different reasons, silly girl. Starting with they are currently at Phantom Lord. That presents certain… challenges."

"But you were with them. You saw them."

"I did."

"Then you can get Juvia and Erza to them too."

"I could…if I chose to."

I stared at him. _What did he want?_

He leaned in, his hand against the wall above me, to my right. With his left hand, he gently touched my temple, as if trying to coax a solution out of me. "Think, Juvia. What would I want from you and your sister?"

Did the guy think I would…? My face twisted in revulsion. He laughed softly, as if he could read my thoughts. "No, not that. I need something more from you."

What could he possibly want from us that we could give-

"I want… Fairy Tail."

I pushed him back and took a step away, unable to tolerate his proximity for a moment longer. He wanted us to sell out the people who had rescued us, fed us, sheltered us!? The people who had done nothing but show us kindness?

He laughed again, circling me like a wolf about to devour a trembling, lone lamb. I ignored him, trying to figure out a solution, something else I might give him in exchange for Lucy and Levy. "Are they prisoners? Or guests?"

"Guests, for now. Lord Jose finds them fascinating. He says they showed up among the tombs two days ago. The taller one hit her head in her struggle with the Phantom Lord's knights, and ever since, she has been speaking of a time ahead, that she 'traveled through time.' And," he added, his eyes narrowing, "she remembers nothing of your 'home' in Bellum."

I stared at him, hard, glad that he seemed to think that she was slightly out of it- Wait a minute! Did he say that they arrived only two days ago? But we've been here a full week! "She …she must be terribly injured." I said, it wasn't hard to feign worry since I truly was worried. "Juvia must see her!"

"And you will. The price of your reunion is but this one task: You must find a weakness in Fairy Tail that my allies can utilize."

"You intend to hand over Fairy Tail to Phantom Lord?" I said incredulously.

He grabbed my arm, sending shards of pain to my shoulder. "Keep your voice down," he hissed. He looked out to the courtyard and then back to me. "If you want to be with your sisters again, you will help us gain access."

"Every man in Fairy Tail will die defending it."

"No," he said dismissively. "No one's ideals are as high as they believe. Life is too precious. They will surrender."

I shook my head. "You do not know Fairy Tail very well then."

"And you do not understand the intricacies of Fiore politics. Go, Juvia. Get your sisters and return to Bellum, if that is where you are truly from. Just be on your way and never look back. Leave Fiore to us."

I considered his words. Maybe it was best for us to leave before we could mess things up even more. Erza and I had done enough damage to the upcoming marriages. Maybe I could somehow warn Gray in time, after we got Lucy and Levy back…somehow, some way, we had to find our way out again. Without selling out the good guys.

At least, all the way. "How will Juvia get word to you?"

A smile spread across his face and for the first time, I saw his white teeth, gleaming in the moonlight. "That's a good girl. That's a very good girl." He leaned forward and pinched my right cheek between his thumb and forefinger. "I'll come to you at Fairy Tail. They do not yet have just cause to decline me a measure of hospitality. Be certain you have what I need when I arrive." and with that he turned around and strode off, his dark cape fluttering behind him.

I stood tense and rigid until he was out of sight and only then did allow myself to slouch over against the wall.

The good news was that Levy and Lucy were alive and within reach.

The bad news was I had just made a pact with the devil.

I hurried back, staying near the side in case I needed to pause and hide in the shadows. Gray and Gajeel would freak if they knew I was out at night, unescorted. They were still looking for me and when they realize that I'm not in the town square, they'll probably return to the dance, certain they'd just missed me in the crowd.

I saw them then, moving through the tunnel, toward me. I ducked into a stone doorway and froze, listening to their muffled voices echo but I was unable to tell what they were saying.

We had to leave, return to Fairy Tail on our own, and figure out a way to get to Phantom Lord and free Levy and Lucy before Mard Geer got there himself. Otherwise, we were doomed to play spy for them…and I couldn't live with myself if I sold Fairy Tail out. I thought through my plan to reach Fairy Tail. We had to figure out where Castor and Pollux were and leave at night. It was our only chance. In the light of day, we'd never make it.

I rushed back to the Ava's home, scurrying to get to Erza's/my room. Hurriedly, I knocked at the door and almost immediately it's thrown open and Erza crushes me in a hug. "Juvia! Where have you been?! Gray and Gajeel were just here, looking for you!"

"Erza, M-Mard Geer-" Maybe it was my pale expression or the scared seriousness of my voice because she immediately let go of me and held me at arms length. Something in the room shifted at that moment as Erza stared at me.

"What is it Juvia? What did that he do." She said. "If he hurt you in any way I swear-"

I shook my head. "No, Mard Geer he knows there Lucy and Levy are! He said they were at Phantom Lord! That they appeared out of the tomb two days ago!"

"Two da- but we're been here for a week! How did- Are you certain he wasn't lying to you? And did you say Phantom Lord!?" She said, the hope and excitement filling with dread.

"Juvia thought so too, but he's not!" My eyes begin to fill with tears. "He said that the only way he'll take us to him is if we betray Fairy Tail! He wants us to find a weakness in the Fairy Tail walls! J-juvia cannot live with herself if she betrays Fairy Tail like that!"

 **Erza POV**

Juvia's sniffles were the only noise heard for about five minutes before I wiped the tears off her face. "Turn around, we can't ride Castor and Pollux in these dresses."

She blinked in confusion before nodding and turning around. I fumbled with the strings but managed to loosen them then she turns around and does the same to me. I slip out of the enormous gown and put on my original armor that I had now grown accustomed to, then I wrapped a bread in a cloth, and stuffed it into a satchel.

Then we rushed to the door and quietly pulled it open.

"Erza, where is your sis-"

He nearly gave me a heart attack.

Jellal and Gray stood there in the doorway, left hand on the casing above, right thumb tucked into his waistband. Natsu and Gajeel stood across the hall, arms crossed, leaning back against the wall. They looked at us, then to my satchel, and their eyes narrowed.

"Where are you going, Erza?" Jellal asked me.

"We don't have time to explain," I said, pushing past him, Juvia hot on my heels.

He caught my arm and whirled me around, Gray doing the same to Juvia. "Wait a minute. It may be different in Bellum, but here in Fiore, only certain types of women scurry around unescorted in the night."

We wrenched our arms from their grips and resumed our flight down the stairs, both of them right behind us. We really didn't have time for this. With trembling hands, Juvia searched for the right key for the door that led to the stables.

"No," Gray growled, pulling the keys from her. They clattered to the ground. "You are not leaving!"

Gajeel and Natsu came down the stairs slowly, and glanced back up, as if wondering if our voices would draw a servant but Gray and Jellal only continued to stare furiously at us.

"We need to go," I said urgently. "It is for the best. For you. For us. Please, just let us go."

"Where are you going? You've just been introduced to people who could help you find your-"

"Back to Fairy Tail," Juvia said. "If your father and cousin will have us. Only for a few days, until we figure out where we will go next."

They frowned at us in confusion. "Did something happen?" Gray asked, staring at Juvia who wouldn't meet his gaze.

"No," I said, pacing a bit. They had to stay here- if any of them showed up, back home, Mard Geer might take Lucy and Levy away, back out of the deal. I looked back up at Jellal and chewed my lip, considering what I could tell him. "I think they're back there, near your home. We want to go back."

"You asked to come here though." Jellal pointed out.

"And now we know they aren't here, we need to search somewhere else.."

He took a deep breath and held it. "We will ensure your safety. You can leave whenever you want.."

"You can't come with us! What would Carmen and Ava think?"

They both stepped back, as if my mentioning their names had splashed cold water in their faces.

"We'll take you, then," Gajeel said, stepping forward.

Juvia shook her head. "We will draw far less attention if Juvia and Erza travel alone."

"Untrue! Have you forgotten what happened the last time we traveled that road?" Gray said.

"Exactly Juvia's point. We were part of a train full of soldiers. You are like magnets, pulling your enemy forces in. They will ignore two lonely riders."

"Hey," Natsu said, his face uncharacteristically serious as he held up a piece of paper.

The note. It must've fallen from Juvia's waistband. Jellal looked at me out of the corner of his eye as Gray reached for the paper. He unfolded it and scanned it.

I braced myself for what was to come.

"What does it say?" He leaned toward Juvia. "Juvia, what does it say?"

"He knows who has our sisters," she translated softly, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Who? Who knows?" Gray said. "Where are they? It was Mard Geer, wasn't it? He was the one who gave you this note."

Juvia nodded her head, eyes still closed and let out a tiny gasp when Gray took hold of her shoulders out of nowhere and shook her.

"Who has them?" he ground out, suspicion making his eyes cold, studying her. I could feel Jellal staring at me the same way. "There is only one family that would make you keep their whereabouts a secret."

It was going to look bad in anyway we cut it. "Phantom Lord," I whispered.

"What do they want? What are they asking for you to be reunited with your sisters?" Jellal asked

The quickest way out of a mess is to face the truth, our guardian once said

I steeled myself and made myself look at him as I said it. "They want Fairy Tail."

Gray then released Juvia, practically shoving her in his frustration. "Gray!" Gajeel and I barked angrily, steadying Juvia with my hand. He lifted his hands, and they shook with rage as he paced away from her, then clenched them into fists. My eyes went cold and I took a step in front of her protectively.

"We weren't going to give them what they wanted," Juvia said in a small voice, I saw a flash of regret in Grays eyes. "We were just going to make them think we were giving them access, but allow you to know the truth in time."

Jellal glanced at me, his face a mask of fury but I never took my eyes off Gray. Over and over he shook his head. His eyes moved back and forth as if he was thinking, trying to come to a solution.

Gajeel's voice rumbled. "If you think about it, it could be quite perfect."

We all looked to him as if he might be going crazy.

He held up a hand. "Think about it. Phantom Lord thinks they finally may have access to Fairy Tail. Their intent will be annihilation. All previous treaties will be null and void as soon as their men enter. We would be free to kill every last one of them. Be done with them. Storm their castle and claim it, making our outpost nearly invincible. We can arrange it all, while here."

Gray stopped his pacing and turned to us. He began to walk towards us but my facial expression stopped him. ' _Do not come near Juvia.'_ Something flickered in his eyes when he looked over my shoulder to Juvia, who wouldn't meet his gaze, before they went back to normal. "Can you keep up the act? See it all the way through?" Jellal asked, tone was calmer now, as if his fear for us returned. "If Phantom Lord- or Mard Geer- find out that you intend to double-cross them, they will kill you and your sister's." He shook his head. "There will be no second chance."

 _'Over my dead body.'_ My eyes darkened for a moment before I stared back at him. "Juvia is prepared to do anything to get her sisters back."

I nodded in agreement. "Just, let us be off. They're more likely to believe we sneaked away from Fairy Tail."

"But why would they believe that we let you return, alone?"

"We'll will say we escaped, in the dark of night, while you all were still at the ball."

"We've seen firsthand how good they are with a rope," Gajeel said.

"But wouldn't they expect us to come after you? Or at least send some men?"

"Not if you want them gone," Natsu said softly. "Erza is coming between you and Carmen. Your goal is to get their other sisters back and and run away." Natsu finished, looking triumphant.

"Natsu-san should write stories." Juvia whisper giggled.

Jellal's eyes were warm again, searching mine. He seemed to struggle to swallow, then he took a slight step closer. "It is an enormous, grave risk."

My face flushed even more and I looked the other way. "Erm.. Well….We're getting used to it to it."

From the corner of my eye I see Juvia pulling Natsu somewhere, Gajeel following close behind with Gray just as Jellal reached up and touched my face.

"Erza," Jellal whispered, shaking his head. "I've never met a woman like you. If we had met before-"

"Your wedding with Carmen has been in motion for too long for us to stop it." I turn my head as I say this, but he held me still and stared at me until I dared to look back into his eyes.

"I'll never forget you."

"I don't think I could forget about you even if I wanted to, not after that show of magic from the first time we met." I grinned at him, trying to desperately lighten the mood but his handsome face was a mask of anguish, he leaned down, closer and in my mind I panicked.

 _'He isn't seriously going to…'_ My eyes widen when I realized that he really was going to-

But then Natsu, Gray, Juvia and Gajeel ran back in. "Sorry to cut this short but they need to get going."

Jellal straightened with a nod and released me.

That's when we heard it.

People, laughing, talking, shouting. Returning.

"Gajeel and I will try to keep people from going back here."

Jellal grabbed the keys from the ground, swiftly cycled through them, and shoved the right one in the lock. He and Gray lead us through the stables to Castor and Pollux. They whinnied excitedly when they saw us. "Send us word through Mira." Jellal whispered hastily to use as we removed the side saddles and mounted our horses.

"Trust no one else. We'll be nearby in three days. Tell Phantom Lord to attack in four." Gray said with urgency. Juvia just nods without looking at him as she pulls on Pollux's reigns to turn him around. "Juvia...I-"

"They're coming!" Natsu hissed. Gray fisted his hand and hurried to the door behind Jellal. We could hear a muffled conversation.

"You left me behind at the ball." I could practically see Carmen pouting as she said that.

"Yes, it was a horror!" Ava said dramatically, beside me Juvia snickers quietly.

"My apologies," Jellal said lowly. "It won't happen again."

 _No_ , I thought. _It won't_. I would see to it myself. No more interference with his or anyone else's hopes, his family's dreams of security. We would free our 'sisters', and we would be away.

Juvia offered me a small smile of comfort but I frowned at her worried. "Juvia… Are you okay?"

She bit her lip. She knew I was talking about earlier with Gray. "Juvia's fine. Right now we need to focus." She said with a nod, probably blocking it out of her mind.

I nod and just as I'm about to squeeze Castors flanks, Gajeel and Natsu show up, dressed to ride. "What are you doing?" I said. "I thought we agreed it was best we go alone."

"You thought it was best. We thought it was foolish." Gajeel put a hand up, palm facing me. "If two of us ride in different directions, we'll still not be as likely to draw attention. And if stopped, we can claim to be married, traveling through the night."

"Juvia doesn't think that is-"

"They won't let you out the town gates without us. Also we need to plan the battle plan with you." Natsu interrupted.

I hadn't thought of the town gates. "Fine, be quick." I said in irritation, knowing they had us.

They grinned. "Do you have your swords?"

I patted my hip strap and Juvia pointed to her shoulder strap. We prefered it like this than to the ones on the saddle. It gave us faster access and was pretty well hidden.

They mounted their horses and peeked out the double doors of the stables, Gajeel nodded once and we were off. I wonder, if they came along to watch over us or to watch us. About ten minutes after we crossed through the gates we came across a fork in the road and separated, Juvia with Gajeel and Natsu with me.

We encountered no one on the way home to Fairy Tail. It was almost eerie how well our plan worked. No bands of rogue knights or Phantom Lord, and the road was visible enough for us in the moonlight to make good time.

"You should travel by night more often," I said to Natsu. "It seems safer compared to what happened on our way to town."

"Some days are better than others." he said, as if referring to our battles as the good day. Phantom Lord came into view with the morning light, Gajeel and Juvia were already there waiting for us. "This is where you're on your own. If you don't show up by sundown, We're coming for you and your sisters."

"No," I insisted again. "Give us until sundown tomorrow."

"No," Gajeel said. "It will either work or it will not. If it works, they'll believe you to be an ally and allow you to leave. If they don't, you will be their prisoner. Why languish a day in their dungeon?"

"But if you're going to defeat them, don't we need to learn as much about their weaknesses just like they want to know about yours? That might take some time." Juvia pointed out.

He nodded, lips clenched. "Take care. Both of you."

Natsu nodded seriously. "We'll be at Fairy Tail, waiting."

We grinned. "We'll do our best." I wheeled my horse around, and we crossed the shallow creek that formed the border between the Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail lands.

It wasn't long before two knights came trotting down the road toward us, Phantom Lord purple clearly displayed. Two other knights emerged on the road behind us. I pulled back on Castors reins. He circled, agitated by the four new horses, but I made him stop, facing the castle.

"State your name and business," said the man closest to me.

"Erza Scarlet and my sister Juvia Lockser. Mard Geer sent us to speak to your master."

The two knights shared a look. "Mard Geer, you said."

"Mard Geer," I confirmed.

"You are alone?" His eyes moved down the road.

"We are now. But we're expected back at Fairy Tail by sundown."

He stared at us a moment longer. "Come ahead, then."

We rode up to the castle gates, a far steeper entry than Fairy Tail's. But it did not boast as many towers as Fairy Tail. Only two were visible from this side, but they looked formidable.

Heavy gates were cranked open, and we moved inside.

'Lord' Jose was immediately striding toward me, a hulking knight and three others right behind him. I recognized them from the tombs and our battle the following day. "Ah, I take it, you've seen the error of your ways and have come to seek shelter in a castle of real men."

I already want to leave.

"Mard Geer sent you?" he asked, as two of his men grabbed our arms after we slid off our horses.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a cold voice, resisting the urge to flip the guards over my head.

He snapped his fingers and two knights stepped closer and slowly untied our capes, pulling it from our shoulders and dropping it to the stones at his feet. With wise eyes, he stared at our sheaths for a moment, then nodded once again at his knights and they unbuckled them.

"My men returned with tales of female warriors wielding swords. It appears they were telling the truth," he said, lifting a delighted brow. I was already longing for the comforting weight of the sword on my back. Juvia stayed wisely quiet, letting me do the talking.

"You have my weapons," I said. "Keep them. I'm here for one reason."

Jose smiled then. "You are both beautiful," he said, tucking a knuckle under my chin, "just like your sisters said."

He did have them. My heart sped up, and we glanced around, as if we might spot Lucy or Levy wandering the ramparts. "Where are they?"

"Resting," he said. "Come. We have much to discuss. If you give me what I seek, you will see your sister today."

He motioned us to follow him and the guards dropped their hold on us and after a moment's hesitation, we did. As the doors closed behind me, I stifled the desire to scream. Why did I feel as if we just made a fatal error in judgment? That we should have broken away and done our best to escape?

"Please, sit." He gestured to a two settees and waited until we obeyed, then he took a chair with a high back directly across from it. He folded his hands. "We're not properly introduced. But you have to understand, I thought you two were some sort of witch! With such odd clothing that day at the tombs. Our women wear nothing like it. Also your hair, well, can you blame me for thinking you were witches?"

"Can we see them?" Juvia finally spoke up.

"In time, in time. As I'm certain Mard Geer explained to you, there is only one thing I will trade you in exchange for your sisters. Access to Fairy Tail."

"And we will not even consider such a betrayal, until we know for certain that you have our sisters and that they are well."

He smiled. "Oh, they're very well. I think you will find them quite content here." He leaned forward. "We are not the monsters Fairy Tail make us out to be."

We waited him out, determined to say nothing until we knew they were okay.

"I see that you two are uncommonly resilient. Far more stubborn than your sisters. They're rather…" He played with the horsehair on his chair's arm- "dovelike."

Apparently, he didn't know my 'sister's' that well yet. Still, we waited. If he'sharmed even a hair on their head, I swear I'll-

He rose. "Come. I will show you the dungeon where your sisters are kept."

 _Dungeon?_ Juvia and I glanced at each other sharply, but he laughed and I caught the glint of teasing in his eyes. "Come along," he said over his shoulder.

We moved to a grand staircase that curved up one side of the grand salon and then down a hallway to the last room. He knocked at a massive, ornately carved door. Was this a game? I held my breath.

"Yes?" came a feminine voice from the other side. Levy. My eyes nearly filled with tears at the sound of her voice.

"It's me! Lord Jose! I have a visitors with me who I think you both would like to greet."

They opened the door and their brown eyes went wide with excitement when they saw us. Juvia and I immediately pulled them into our arms, never more happy to see them in my life.

They were here. With us. We were together.

Which was both good and bad news.

"Could we…" Juvia swallowed. "Could we have a moment?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing into the room. "But come and speak with me in an hour, will you?" He gave us a look that told us not to argue.

"An hour," I confirmed.

He closed the door behind us, and we drew Levy and Lucy deeper into the room.

"Where have you been?" Lucy and Levy asked us in english at the same time.

"Juvia could ask the same of you!" Juvia said in a hushed whisper. "Juvia and Erza arrived a week ago. But Juvia heard that you arrived just two days ago?"

"Right. We landed in that tomb, but you were nowhere around. We wandered over here to the castle…." Levy gave us a sorry look. "Also-"

 _"What are you wearing?"_ We asked each other at the exact same time while pointing at each others clothing.

"Is that armor!?"

"Wow, Juvia I never knew how long your legs were"

"Levy-chan you look so cute with that orange dress!"

"Those are some long boots, Lucy."

We paused and bursted out laughing, wiping tears from our eyes as we hunched over from lack of oxygen. Hearing English again was like a hug from home. A step closer to being there!

"When Erza and Juvia stepped out of the tunnel they were wearing this!"

"Us too! You should have seen Lucy freak out and call the tomb a pervert." Levy snickered.

Our smiles faded away after a moment. "You told them…you were from the future?"

Lucy nodded, looking embarrassed at her foolishness. "Lord Jose told us he'd seen you, but you'd been taken away by the horrible Fairy Tail."

"Horrible? No, they're wonderful. Juvia-"

"How did you get here so far ahead of us?" Levy asked, shaking her head in confusion. "We were together, our hands on those prints, and then you were gone a second ahead of us."

Lucy nodded. "It was as if you became dust before our eyes. And then when we arrived and you weren't with us- I thought we'd lost you for sure."

I shook my head, remembering that moment. "I think it has to do with when we pulled our hands from the prints. Ours was a split-second ahead of yours was the equivalent of days, almost a week, here."

"We need to get back to the tomb." Juvia said with urgency. "We think we all need to be there. If we put our hands on the prints again, maybe we'll fast forward, back to our own time."

"Or…will we go deeper? Into history." Levy shivered and crossed her arms. "I don't know about you, but this is about as deep as I want to go."

I smiled. "Can you imagine Professor Gildarts here?"

"Oh, he'd go crazy," Lucy said.

I nodded and my smile faded. "We have to try."

They both nodded too. "You're right, of course."

"So how can we get you out of here?"

Lucy frowned. "Get us out? Let's just tell Lord Jose we are heading out on a stroll, and make our way down to the tombs."

"Juvia…doesn't think it's going to be that easy. He's made you feel a guest in his home. But he is using you two as a pawn. He wants us to betray Fairy Tail in exchange for your freedom."

Levy frowned. "Then we must escape. Right away." They stood up and looked back at me.

I nodded, but couldn't seem to move.

It took all of two seconds for them to figure out my reason for hesitating. They gasped.

"Don't tell me-"

"Oh my-"

"Could it be?!"

"Our dear sweet Erza has-"

"Met someone?!"

They slowly advanced towards me as if closing in on their prey.

"No!...Yes." I admitted with a flaming face. "Not anyone I can have, on like, a hundred different levels."

"Ahhh. The unattainable. Always the most attractive." Lucy said with a smirk.

Levy frowned. " He is a knight at Fairy Tail?"

"Erm… More like son of the head of Fairy Tail." Juvia said.. "And soon to be married."

She sucked in her breath, bringing her fingers to her mouth. "You really gotta stop aiming so high, girl."

"It doesn't matter. It's over." I sighed.

"But it began?" Lucy pressed.

"Before it began." I didn't want to talk about it anymore, but lucky for me they moved on to Juvia.

"What about you Juvia?" Levy said with a smirk. "Got anything you want to tell us."

"Wha- N-no!" Juvia stuttered, knowing the spotlight was on her.

They advanced towards her in a similar manner as they did to me and studied her face carefully, waiting for her to cave in. A few moments later her face was burning brighter than my hair and she used her hands to try and hide it.

"OH MY-"

"BOTH OF YOU-"

"OUR PRECIOUS JUVIA-"

"Wait."

"Don't tell me he's-"

 _"Unavailable too!!!"_

Juvia's silence was enough answer for them. They groaned as if in physical pain for us. "You two really know how to pick'em don't you."

Juvia shook her head. "He was never interested." Juvia insisted with a sad smile.

"You have a lot more connecting you here than we do," Levy said. "we'll gather our things, and we'll be off."

"I for one want to meet your crushes before we leave them behind forever. It will help me spot the right kind of guy for you in our real time." Lucy said and Levy nodded in agreement.

We stared at them. "You still don't get it, do you? We are in the middle of what's about to be a warzone."

Their eyes widened in shock.

"Fairy Tail has every intention of taking down Phantom Lord. Soon"

"Then we have to get out of here," Lucy said, wringing her hands.

"We have a plan, but it means you're going to have to lay low till we come for you. Fairy Tail is going to break you out."

Their eyes widened in disbelief. Then Levy strode over to a wall and ran her delicate fingers over two swords and a bow. "I dunno," she said. "Find us some arrows, and methinks we could fight our way out."

Juvia giggled at her lame medieval-speak. "We've had to the same this past week."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You've used a sword? In battle?"

"Twice. We tried to bring them with us in here, but they caught us. As soon as you can, secure some arrows to go with that. Tell Jose you want to practice. Pretend you're beginners, so he has no idea how good you are. Appeal to his sense of pride and generosity. Flirt with him if you have to."

She shivered. "Ugh. Hell no!"

"You have to do what you need to do. We are in a fight for our lives, whether you feel it yet or not."

To my surprise they stayed steel-eyed. "They will try to kill us?"

"As soon as they realize we've double-crossed them," I whispered.

"Really? Lord Jose has been nothing but kind to us. Giving us more food than we want, books, this room-"

"It's all a ruse. He'd kill you in front of us if he knew it'd make us give him what he wanted."

They paled, and I regretted my frank words. But they had to know. Had to know what we were up against. Had to be ready. "And… and you're sure there is no other way out?" Levy asked.

"Not that we've seen yet," Juvia said.

"Okay, then," she said, patting her knees and rising. "Hurry. The faster you go, the faster you can get back to us."

I pulled them both into my arms. "Be ready. Day or night, be ready. All right?"

They nodded and my heart swelled with pride. We could do this, everything will be fine. I stepped back to let Juvia hug them.

We moved down the hall, down the stairs, and back into the den, where Jose waited for us before I gave in to the impulse to take their hands and try and run out of this place together now. He must have heard us coming, but he did not turn from his place in front of the map of Phantom Lord land.

"You will deliver what has been asked of you?"

"Is there no other way? Nothing else we could give you in exchange for our sister's life?"

He looked down at the table before him for a long moment, then turned to face us. "There is nothing else."

I squeezed my eyes shut. If we showed no hesitation, he might doubt us. In truth, it wasn't difficult to work up. He looked from my hands, up to my face.

"Apologies, but there is no way around it. I must use the tools I have at hand."

"Women are hardly tools."

"They are at times. A man will live and die for the right woman." He moved forward, circling me as Mard Geer had. "Jellal…I wager you have caught his eye, have you not?"

"He is promised to Carmen."

"Carmen represents nothing but an alliance for his family." He shook his head and rubbed his chin. "No, you must have caught his eye."

"I know no such thing."

"Don't play with me, Erza. I know men. And I've known my share of women. And you aren't as innocent as your other sisters- I can tell that much."

I stared straight ahead for a moment, then looked to the ground. "I may have caught his eye."

"Good, good," he crooned. "Then he will be blinded by love, never suspecting that I have found a hole in the corner of his chicken coop. Keep leading him on. Use his weakness for our strength."

I nodded, feigning misery.

He again put a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted it, forcing my eyes to his. "Ahh, he has spun his web around you as well. You are in love with him?" His eyes hardened with suspicion.

"Honestly, I thought I was in love," I said. I pulled away from his hand and went to the picture window, with its view of the courtyard. "But he sent me away. He said that I was interfering with his alliance with Carmen's family. There was no other way than for me to leave. The timing, however, was providential. He had no idea I would be coming straight to you."

He moved over and placed his big hands on my shoulders. "I am sorry for your pain." Slowly he turned me around, his hands still on my shoulders. I dared to look him in the eye. Was he trying to comfort me?

No, he was testing me, trying to sort out what was truth, what was lie, but I could see he wanted to believe me.

"Use your pain," he said, a sick smile twisting on his lips. "Turn it into anger, vengeance, Erza Scarlet and you will get your reward. Not only your sisters, but horses, and a chest full of gold to see you safely on your way. I'll even send four guards with you, as far as the border of Fiore, but we'll wait until Jellal and his brothers return home. I want them to be there to witness it, when I breach Fairy Tails defenses at last. With it gone, no other can stand in my way."

I looked back at him, as if considering his words. Then after the right amount of time, I simply said, "Agreed."

He finally let go of me. From the corner of my eye I see Juvia relax.

"You do understand that if you double cross me, I will hunt you both down and kill you. But not before you see your sisters suffer in ways that you have never imagined."

I felt something rising in me, but I pushed it down. If I'd had a sword I would've run the man through right then. "You dare to lay a hand on her-"

"You are hardly in the position to make threats. Do you understand me? Are you ready to serve me as your lord?"

I clenched my teeth and nodded along with Juvia, unable to speak. For a moment, I considered charging upstairs and trying Levy's lame plan for escape by fighting our way out. Better to die fighting than to die via torture. But I knew Fairy Tail, I knew I could trust them and that they would do everything in their power to get them out of this place. Also, we'd have a far better chance with Fairy Tail beside us.

"Thank you for your visit. Return to me with the information I seek, or your sisters will be ushered out of her room and into a far less appealing room, one with chains and all sorts of unsavory tools." He said delightedly as he ushered us to the door.

I turned toward him, but he shut the door in my face, a smile on his lips. Did he half hope we proved to be his enemy so he could take it out on Levy and Lucy? I shook my head, trembling at the thought. The hulking knight led us forward to Castor and Pollux, who had a pile of ripped shirts surrounding them, but I felt too numb to feel proud

Two knights opened the gates, and we plotted out, glancing back over my shoulder to Levy and Lucy's narrow window. They were there, watching us.

Juvia raised we hand to wave, but then they were shutting the gates.

Shutting us out.

Shutting them in.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: After fifteen chapters of stalling, we give you this:**

 **Erza POV**

We were walking with Natsu and Gajeel the next morning, telling them of Phantom Lord's layout from the inside when the guards called down to open the gates. Simon wanted Jose to believe that he could have the Fairy Tail so we could attack Phantom Lord. If war came, they were ready for that, too. Years of having to hold back, of not being able to invite full-on war, was about to end. Fury and greed could have their full sway.

And it all hinged on the crazy arrival of four girls from the twenty-first century. Go figure.

We all paused and watched as an old, hunched-over man came limping into the courtyard, pulling a mule, which in turn pulled a cart loaded with hay. Two guards moved in on the old man to search his robes, but as soon as the gates screeched closed behind him, he lifted his hood and straightened and someone else rose from underneath the hay cursing and shaking hay out of his hair. The guards took a step back and laughed.

It took a sec, but then I knew.

It was Jellal and Gray in disguise.

Jellal grinned at the knights while Gray annoyedly pulled hay from his hair while saying something I couldn't quite hear. Natsu laughed loudly while pointing at Gray, clearly trying to taunt him. Gajeel rolled his eyes but approached his siblings nonetheless.

Jellal's father and Simon entered the courtyard from the Great Hall.

I tapped Juvia's hand twice and she nodded. Simultaneously, we turned on our heels and fled in opposite directions.

I thought I was ready to see Jellal. I wasn't.

Also, Jellal's father would totally freak if we didn't stay as far apart as possible. It was also best Juvia stay away from him too, his dad could think she's trying to get us together. Simon had tried to tell him of what was to come, of a potential attack, of reinforcements … that it was all because us, really, and it seemed to send the old man over the edge. He had become more serious and calculating.

I heard Jellal call out my name- I all but screeched in terror- but I continued my escape. I would see him later. When I got myself together. After he's had the chance to say hello to his siblings and Simon. Or maybe I wouldn't have to. Maybe I'd do my part, They'd do theirs, and Juvia, Lucy, Levy, and I could just get to the tomb and get the heck out of here.

"Erza," he called, sounding exasperated, still coming after me.

I paused and slowly turned.

We were alone in a corridor.

He ran a hand through his blue hair, and it flopped right back into place. His hand fidgeted with the hilt of his sword as he moved toward me, unsure of himself- had I ever seen him unsure of himself?

"Is everything alright, Jellal?" I asked, and I immediately felt like slapping myself.

"Everything is fine," he said eagerly, taking my words as welcome, still approaching. "A false rumor of an attack has been spread. The town soldiers moved out this morning. Jose will think it's a sign that this is the night to attack. He'll think the town's soldiers are distracted, not waiting less than half an hour away to come to our aid."

I really wasn't concentrating on what he was saying. All I could think about was him, here, so close. In his enthusiasm and excitement, he had moved but a foot from me. I continued to retreat until my back bumped up against the end wall. I looked back in surprise and then to my door, then to him. He stared down at me, as if recognizing, for the first time, how he affected me.

"Jellal, Jose will have spies out, in all directions. If he catches word that there are reinforcements…" I said, my panic rising.

"No," he said soothingly, face alight. "Jose will only hear what we want him to hear."

"If he catches your messenger…" I swallowed hard. "Jellal, he has my sisters down in his dungeon. He threatened to do horrible things to them."

The muscles in his jaw tensed, and all trace of anticipated glory disappeared in his concern over my sisters. I couldn't look into his warm eyes any longer. They were covering me, pulling me in. I looked down. I felt the heat of a deep blush climb my neck as I try to steady my breathing.

Jellal reached out and took my face in the curve of his warm hand. He waited until I looked back up to him. "So the warrior is not made of stone."

Stone? Stone? He thought I was made of stone?

He lifted his hand to brush my bangs out of my eyes and leaned down to look into my them. "You are courageous, Erza. And clever. And strong. Both you and your sister. Remember that, in the thick of battle. You can use all three. And Fairy Tail will see to it that neither Jose nor Mard Geer ever has the opportunity to harm either you or your sisters."

They were brave words. But only words.

And yet I wanted to believe them then. I needed to believe them.

But we were much too…close.

"All right," I said. "Thank you."

Hands off me, buddy. Remember, your heart belongs to someone else. And my heart is apparently… stone.

 **(A/N: I kid you not, I almost passed out when I made the following scene so beware.)**

I was starting to squirm out of his magnetic pull when he moved an arm around me and tugged me closer. "Erza," he said lowly, raising his hand again, this time to cup my face and brush his thumb softly on my cheek. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I failed to comprehend what the hell was going on. "There is something I must know," he said, "something I've been wondering about for days."

"Well, I suggest you talk to Levy, she can most likely help you on whatever you need. She's read ton of books on all sorts of stuff and could probably help you get a head start on indoor plum-"

He leaned down then and kissed me, effectively silencing me in my rant. It started softly at first, then deeper, searching. I knew I should stop him, push him away, but at the moment I couldn't even remember how to breathe! His lips were so soft and warm I forgot everything else. When he stepped back he looked as dazed as I felt. He rubbed his lower lip with the pad of his thumb, still staring at me intently, as if reliving our kiss and then his eyes sharpened again with a glimmer of victory. He nodded at me. "I was right."

I put a hand to my forehead and shook my head, frowning more as his smile grew. "No, Jellal. This, this can't happen."

"Yes, yes, it can," he said, grinning, pacing in his excitement.

"Jellal-"

"No, we'll talk tomorrow. When we conquer Phantom Lord and free your sisters. You'll see, everything will be fine."

"But Carmen-"

"We are friends, but there is nothing between us. She will understand." He interrupted.

He looked at me like he totally saw the total opposite end of the spectrum between us. No, no, no, this can't be happening. Not here. Not now. He couldn't break up with Carmen for me! Just when I was about to disappear. He would be crushed when I went home.

"So Carmen will recover. But what of the alliance? Fairy Tail is vulnerable out here, on the border. You need her family behind you, Jellal. Remember?" I shook my head. This was crazy. He'd gotten totally off track because of…me?

He shook his head too, slowly. "We just find another way to strengthen Fairy tail. Capturing Phantom Lord will solve many problems."

I blew out my cheeks. He'd really thought this through. And he was making this so much harder… "Jellal, there is a lot come. Let's see if we both survive and then we can talk about if it is wise-"

"Wise?" he asked, taking a coil of my hair in his hand and running his fingers down it. "No, this is most definitely unwise," he said, leaning in until my back was against the wall again. "But sometimes the heart tells us to go where the mind fears to." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I'll see you in an hour. I need to talk to Simon and my father. Unless you want to join me."

I shuddered, thinking of Jellal's father. "No," I said, shaking my head. "I don't think your father would appreciate seeing us together. I'll stay here."

He nodded, waiting for me to look at him fully in the eye. "My father will come to see this as I do, Erza."

"You don't understand," I said in exasperation. "This is all happening so fast and right before when all hell breaks loose."

He smiled and kissed me again, then was off, striding down the hall. "It is happening at just the right time. All of it," he said, lifting out his arms in exuberance. "You'll see. You'll see!"

He lifted the latch and pushed the door outward, letting in a brief burst of sunshine before it banged shut behind him, leaving me in the relative darkness.

"Great," I muttered to myself "Just great, Erza." I leaned against the wall, trying to get my head around what had just happened.

How had everything been in perfect just a half hour before?

Because right now, our grand scheme seemed to be in shambles.

I was at my bedroom door, trying to focus enough to open it and lie down for a few minutes, when the courtyard door banged open and Juvia appeared at the end of the hall. "Erza! Erza, come quickly!"

I frowned and rushed down the hall. "What is it?"

"It's Simon," she said, almost in tears. "He's collapsed."

We ran to the courtyard together. Three Fairy Tail knights were carrying Simon toward us. He was in the midst of a full-scale asthma attack, each breath a horrific seal-like bark. "Take him to his sitting room," I said.

Juvia looked around for servants, then instructed, "Boiling water, buckets of it. Fresh, lightweight cloth, never used. Lemon, mint, caraway, fistfuls of it. As fast as you can!"

I glanced at Jellal's father, who looked like he was going to have a heart attack now. I called out to Jellal. "Your father get him to his quarters, we'll send him word."

Jellal followed my gaze, nodded once, and was off. We raced to follow the men and soon as they had Simon laid out on the wooden settee, I told them to take off his shirt. The muscles between his ribs contracted with each breath. The poor man was working as hard as he could just to inhale one more time.

I took his right hand with my left, and leaned down so he could see my face. "We will help you, Simon. Hold on. Just concentrate on each breath. Do not give in to the fear. Slow it down. Slow it down." I took a breath with him, staring into his eyes, willing him to match my pace. "You can do this. One breath at a time. In… and out…"

I felt more than saw Natsu move into the room. I took comfort in his presence. But I continued to concentrate on Simon. "Do not give up, Simon. You have come so far. You simply overtaxed yourself. It will be all right, I promise. One breath at a time. There you go."

I turned to see the three knights, staring at me with wide eyes, and others in the doorway. "Find out where that water is!" I yelled. "We need the boiling water and cloth now!"

The three closest scurried to do as I bid, breaking up the crowd in the hallway. But then the servants were there with the water.

"Tell me what I can do," Gray said lowly, at Simon's head, trying not to interrupt our process. There was fear in his eyes, the first I'd ever seen in him.

"Boiling water, two buckets on each side of him. Use the cloth to make a tent above us. Try and seal us in, as best you can. And have them fetch more boiling water. We need steam. Constant steam." Juvia said.

Gray rose and barked orders.

A maid arrived with the herbs Juvia had asked for.

"Quick as you can, everyone tear all that into piles." Juvia said while showing them how.

Simon was mouthing words, trying to tell me something. I shook my head furiously. "No. It can wait. Do not try to speak right now. Do you hear me? You breathe, and that's it. In… and out." I was about as tender as a drill sergeant. But he was seriously freaking me out. People still died of asthma attacks in the twenty first century. How much harder was it to keep them alive in this dimension?

In two minutes, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had the cloth spread above us and water inside. It didn't take long for sweat to drip down my scalp and back, but we weren't leaving Simon. Not that I could. The man gripped my hand, so hard it scared me all the more. As weak as he was, if he held me like that, he was afraid, deathly-literally-afraid.

Gray was there, on the other side of our makeshift tent. "The herbs are torn, Juvia. Now what?"

"Mix them with olive oil, into a thick paste. Quickly."

I watched in horror as Simon's eyes began to roll back. "Simon!"

They slowly rolled back to focus on me.

"Stay with me, Simon. Stay with me."

His eyes remained locked on mine.

Jellal came under the tent, staring at my flushed, sweaty face, then at his cousin's, which was almost blue from lack of oxygen. New buckets of water were slid under the tent, the cooling water removed.

"Go over there," I said to Jellal, nodding to the other side.

I looked back at Simon. "Jellal is here. Juvia and I need to pack your chest. Jellal will hold your hand."

Jellal gently took his cousins hand from mine, moving it to his side. Simon's eyes shifted to his cousin, as hungry for encouragement from him as he was from me.

None of us wanted to be alone when we died. A chill ran down my back at the thought, even though it was hotter than hell in there.

"Simon," I said, helping Juvia apply bunch of the herbal slop- heavy with mint, caraway and lemon- over his chest. "Just focus on breathing. Breathe!" What were we doing? We were guessing at an old recipe of our guardian, hoping we had remembered it right. Hadn't Levy had a major asthma attack? And hadn't she put this on her?

I studied him as we placed handful after handful of the stuff on his skin.

We might finish him off if he's allergic to any of this stuff, but we were desperate. There was nothing left for us to do. We couldn't just sit there and watch him die.

It took about ten minutes for Simon' grip to loosen a bit and his face relaxed a teeny bit. Juvia and I all but fainted with relief. I squeezed Juvia's hand when I heard her sniffle and we leaned on each other for support. Simon's cousins visibly relaxed when they saw our expressions of relief.

"Go get some fresh air, you look like you're going to faint." Gray said to us. "We'll stay with him."

We nodded and I pulled Juvia from under the edge of the cloth and looked around the room, to a sea of waiting faces. "It has receded a bit," I said, sinking to a chair beside Juvia. "But keep the boiling water coming. Constantly." Three set off to do as I asked. Another brought us a cup of cold water, and we gulped it down. Then when we felt more calm we returned under the edge of the tent.

"I think he's breathing a bit easier," Natsu said.

I studied the side of Simon's ribs, where herbs and oil streamed down, and watched the muscles. Just a tiny bit less desperate and lurching. He still sounded like a sick seal, gasping for every bit of air he could take in, but any improvement was a small victory. I into Simon's eyes. He didn't look quite so close to giving up, but he was still working so hard… and he was again trying to form words. He looked at Jellal this time.

Jellal rose and leaned closer to him, closing his eyes as if to concentrate on deciphering what Simon was trying to say.

"Jellal," Juvia complained in a whisper, "he shouldn't try to speak."

Jellal held up a finger. After several long minutes, he said something back and lifted his face.

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"He said to carry on with the attack. To leave him with a sword in hand, in case they breach this corridor."

The knights in the room, clearly hearing Jellal's words, all cheered.

I put a hand to my forehead. How could we leave Simon struggling like this?

"There is no choice," Natsu said, reading the question in my eyes. "The plan is already in motion. Your sisters are counting on us to rescue them in a few hours."

I dragged miserable eyes to Simon and then back to Natsu again.

We might save Levy and Lucy- I really hoped we would save them- but if the Phantom Lord breached this corridor, we would lose Simon.


	17. Chapter 17

**Juvia POV**

We went through the plan with all the knights and with the servants at least ten times. It needed to appear natural. Nothing could smell of a trap. They had to keep the battle within the courtyard, so that the Phantom Lord knights remained engaged there until the reinforcements arrived, captured, and kill them all. Also so that they wouldn't give chase to those who were trying to breach the Phantom Lord wall and save our sisters, aka Erza and me.

Five brave servants- Bisca, Mira, Wendy, Cana and Aslak were their names- agreed to make a run from two separate corridors, and into another, making it look like the castle had really been taken by surprise. They practiced it, like actors on a hollywood movie set, timing it, men on horseback charging about, so it was all perfectly choreographed. The idea was that at first Phantom Lord men would think they'd breached the castle doors just as they had planned, surprising all inside.

Ten men were positioned along the roof, hidden behind the peaks, with bows and countless arrows. After twenty minutes of siege, they would rise and take aim at the enemies, but not before then. We wanted to be certain that our reinforcements would arrive in time to capture any that tried to escape.

"If you stay down, they'll focus on breaching the corridor entry points," Gajeel said, grinning madly. He was enjoying this a little too much. "And then the secondary barriers."

All afternoon, men had been busy erecting heavy, new interior doors within four of the corridors, where Fairy Tail's unarmed would hole up. The other corridors would be locked up tight, but if they were breached by our enemies all they would find are empty rooms.

"They'll think we're cowards," Some grumbled, irritated that they weren't allowed to defend the castle the moment the enemy stepped in.

"They'll be dead by morning, and you'll be alive," Jellal snapped back. "Do as my cousin has planned. Nothing different. It's a brilliant plan and an honor to him to see it done."

They clammed up then, unable to argue with the whole dying cousin card.

I did fear that Simon was dying though and that he wouldn't make it until daybreak. He still struggled to breathe and his poor heart won't be able to handle much more hours of suffering. I didn't want to leave his side to the point that Gajeel had had to drag me out of his room and in the hall. He shook me by the shoulders, his own features full of heavy misery. "I know. I know. But you said so yourself, there's nothing more we can do but wait."

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to pull myself together. "Right," I said at last. He stared at me for a moment before nodding and releasing me.

I walked away to look for Erza while trying to keep my mind off of what was to come. I found her in a hidden corridor talking in hushed whispers to Jellal. My shipping senses tingled strongly so I creeped closer to eavesdrop on what they were saying, pressing myself to the wall so I wouldn't be spotted.

So I'm a slight gossip, sue me.

"...Simon wants us to do this and I honor his wishes best by seeing them through and looking to Fairy Tail's future, the town's future." Jellal takes a step towards Erza and places his hands on her hips. "And ours."

I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, crying, and fangirling my heart and soul out. ' _IKNEWITIKNEWTIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT-'_

Erza shook her head and broke away from his light hold on her hips. "I've been thinking about that, Jellal. You belong here, defending what you love."

'Erza, what are you doing?!' I gripped the wall I was hiding behind tightly, cracking it a bit.

He gave her a gentle smile and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I belong where I can defend all that I love. I will be here at the beginning, engage in a battle or two, then retreat, barricading myself into the first corridor across the way. An empty corridor, of course. Once I see the flags of the town reinforcements, I'll come and find you and you sisters."

Erza's eyes widened with alarm. "Except the Phantom Lord men will be circling the castle, making certain no one escapes."

He cocked his head. "And we'll fight our way through."

"You, Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu," She said.

He nodded. "You don't expect us to let you to rescue your sister on your own, did you?"

"I didn't know what to think." She rubbed her temple. "This plan….it could go wrong in a hundred different ways."

"Or perfectly right." He took her hand in his, and this time I bit the wall to keep from squealing. Erza just sighed and let the subject drop.

"Just….Don't die tonight, Jellal." She mumbled while looking away, embarrassed.

He gave her a teasing smile. "So tomorrow or any other day is all right, just not this night?"

"No," She said with an eye roll. "Ever."

His smile faded. "Only if you promise to do the same." He kissed her knuckles once more. "Natsu and I will catch up with you before you reach Phantom Lord, Gray and Gajeel will join us soon afterwards. I promise you that."

Taking a deep breath, Erza nods and Jellal turns and walks away. After I was certain that he was gone I appeared from the shadows. "What was that?!" I all but screeched. Erza whirled around looking guiltier than a murderer.

"You- You!" I bit my hand to keep from fangirling all over again.

"Juvia," Erza groaned in relief and exhaustion "How much did you see?"

"Enough!" I screeched while jumping up and down whispering ' _Iknewitiknewitiknewit'_ Over and over again like a chant. Erza looked extremely embarrassed and upset. "You know it can't happen Juvia…" She whispered.

"Oh, shush! Let me have this!" I said, pausing my wedding plans for them to glare at her.

She was right of course. We had our own dimension and time frame. Technically, we weren't even supposed to be here in the first place. Heck, We've only been here a week and we've already caused what could scale up to be a war! I sighed and squeezed her hand. "It's time to go Erza."

 **~ _Timeskip~_**

We walked hunched over, as if trying to avoid being seen by those inside the castle but close to the edge, so that those who watched us from the outside could clearly see our progress. We raced to catch up with the guards, Elfman and Redus, who were walking away from us, on point to the plan. "Coming on your left," I whispered to them as we raised our short broadsword high in the air where it could catch the gleam of torchlight. "Three, two, one," Erza counted lowly, still mirroring their steps. They pretended to not hear a word from us. We turned the swords and plunged it between their shoulders, where it caught a hidden wooden plate and slid downward. We went down between the edges of the wall where no one could see us and we rolled off of him.

"Nicely done," I said. "How does it feel, being dead?"

"It doesn't feel manly," Elfman said in a whisper, grinning at me as he rolled over.

"Well, prepare for a second death," Erza said, as we rose and made a great show of stabbing them once more. This time, we knew only we would be visible from the Phantom Lords' point of view, so we plunged downward, waited for Elfman and Redus to give it a quick wash of cow's blood, and then wrenched our swords up as if they had been stuck in a body. We raced forward, shoving the bloody sword into our sheaths.

"Be safe miss," I heard Redus whisper behind me as he slowly lifted his hand pointing towards the sky with his pointer finger, his thumb sticking out to the side. Elfman mirrored his actions. "And remember that Fairy Tail has your back." Without hesitation we copy the action and sprint away. It gave me newfound comfort and strength.

At the end of the wall, We rose and looked into the center of the enclosed courtyard where Gray stood, Gajeel, watching us. I stared at him overly long, wondering if it might be the last time I would see him alive. But then he pointed at the other guard, approaching me from the other side, reminding me of my task.

We crouched down and moved into position. The other guard, Hades, feigned surprise when he saw us. He moved his hand to his sword as if to draw it. Erza pulled her dagger from her sheath and pulled back, her eyes on the center of his sternum.

"Aim true, miss," he whispered a second late, since the dagger already flew across the space between us.

His timing was as perfect as Erza's aim. The blade plunged into the leather and padding, he wavered, then reached for it, pretending to try to pluck it out. Just as I was silently urging him not to overdo it, he crumpled with an anguished groan to the ground.

We hurriedly tied off our ropes and rappelled down the inside of the Fairy Tail wall, shaking in fear when I heard the massive numbers of horses rumbling toward the gates.

"Go, Juvia," Gajeel mouthed.

We turned to the massive, rusted metal beam and unlocked it, then, pushing with everything in us, slid it back in its track. They didn't wait for us to open it all the way. The giant door barely missed me as I leaped aside. They burst through with a roar, fifty men on foot, with twenty on horses behind them.

Knights, dressed as servants, ran for the corridors that had two barricades. Our twenty minutes were now counting down. "Knights to arms!" one cried. "Fairy Tail is breached!" Ten knights joined Gray and Gajeel. Women ran screaming to the corridors farther back, just as they had practiced. The first sounds of iron meeting iron sounded in the yard.

Jose came through the gates on his horse and pulled up on the reins when he reached my side. "Off with you, then," he said, gesturing with his chin over his shoulder. "You have done well. Go and claim your prize."

We nodded and smiled. We turned and scurried out, straight through the third line of men to the stables where Castor and Pollux were. "No time for reunions!" I said as Pollux licked my cheek a bit. Seeming to understand the dire situation we were in Pollux turned and I lifted myself onto him. Glancing back once to check if Erza was ready I kick Pollux's flanks and we race across the path that was clearly visible in the moonlight.

We're coming, Lucy and Levy. We're coming.

 **Erza POV**

From the corner of my eye, I see a patrol of Phantom Lord men, riding around the edge of the Fairy Tail, just as Simon believed they would. We bent lower and raced down the path, way faster than what was safe, but adrenaline and hope combined to make me feel strong, as if I could see in the dark.

I frowned when Juvia suddenly stopped and motioned for me to slow down. Then I heard it.

Horses, coming our way.

Fast as lightning, we dismounted. "Hide." I whispered to Castor and Pollux. "Come to Phantom Lord when you feel like we need you." They whinnied once in protest before turning and running off. We surged over to the right, rolling once, twice, until we were under a low-hanging bush just as four men on horseback raced past us. They pulled up ahead and turned back. I groaned inwardly, just taking in my third breath. They'd seen us. We slowly rose and drew our swords, still trying to get my breathing under control.

The men came into view down the path, and I pressed back among the trees.

"Juvia?" the first said, Juvia looked at me quizzically and I frowned.

"Erza?" called another.

I edged out. "Jellal?"

He rode closer then. "Are you running to Phantom Lord?"

"Not originally," I muttered while we sheathed our swords. He and Gray surged forward, reaching for our arms and using the momentum to swing us up behind them. How had they managed to escape and get to us so quickly? I thought Gray and Gajeel weren't going to join us till later! Were the town knights already surrounding Fairy Tail, capturing the Phantom Lord forces? I hoped so, but I was most glad they were there, with us. Ready to help us find Lucy and Levy..

Gray tensed and looked back at Natsu and Gajeel. They stayed deadly still and then nodded once. It took a moment but then we heard it then too.

More riders were coming. And they weren't ours.

We rode hard, then suddenly veering off on a narrow path I was pretty sure didn't lead to Phantom Lord. We came out on a sandbar, farther up the creek than the normal crossing, and waited in the thick brush that lined the banks. A large group of knights on horses crossed, their mounts sending water flying into the air- a thousand droplets catching the moonlight. Juvia looked at it in awe. It was beautiful, terrifying and gorgeous at the same time. And surreal. Because they were obviously hunting, chasing us.

Gajeel looked over at us. "No one saw us escape. I'm sure of it."

Jellal tensed. I could feel his torso contract, his breathing hesitate. "Then they're after you both."

"Us?" Juvia whispered.

"Yes," he said simply. "Phantom Lord has sent them to fetch you because you double-crossed him." Memories of Jose's threats rang in my mind.

"We cannot let them reach the castle," Natsu said lowly. "If they do, they'll warn the guards, and they'll never free their sisters."

Jellal and Gray twisted in their saddle, lifting us to the ground so fast we didn't have time to react. Thick creek pebbles met my feet, and I stumbled a bit backward, against a scrub oak. "Hide, both of you. We'll be back for you as fast as we can."

Without waiting for our response, he pressed his mount into action, and they were off.

I bit back my indignation, the desire to call out his name, demanding that he return for me. Natsu was right, of course. Our only hope was that they could overtake the men, surprise them and somehow kill or capture all twelve. And they couldn't do that with the weight of two people on one mount.

"Four wizards against...What? A bit more than a dozen knights?" Juvia chuckled. "Wagers anyone?"

Despite everything going on I smiled. They're probably reveling in those odds, I thought, pacing back and forth. Idiots. Brave, wonderful, idiots.

"Wait a minute... _They consider us more a liability than an ally!"_ I shouted outraged. Granted, it probably possible that we'd be more of a liability, but they didn't know that for sure. "Come on. I've had enough of this sexist nature of theirs."

Juvia didn't question me as we set off running, moving to the main path. It was like our clothes- despite being a dress for Juvia and and a skirt for me- were made for this. Being active and battle ready and I refused to sit around while they risked their lives for us. Perhaps we could sneak in, take one man down, help them before they even knew we were there. We had to do something. Hide, he had said. Hide! If I wasn't so smitten with him I would've knocked him from here to next tuesday.

We slowed down once we could hear the roar of fire and clashing metal. We snuck closer and then pulled up short, studying the battlefield. Three men were on the ground already and two were sneaking up on Gray as he was fighting against one, they were probably planning on stabbing him from behind as he was distracted. Gajeel and Natsu were back to back surrounded by six knights and Jellal was fighting against three.

 **"IRON DRAGON-"**

 **"FIRE DRAGON-"**

 **"ROAR!!!"**

They still hadn't seen us. Gajeel was getting tired; I could see it in his breathing. Something in the knights armor must have been tampered with because it didn't dent or break when it came into contact with either his or Natsu's magic. One of their attackers advanced forward, sword slicing through the air three times in quick succession. Gajeel spun away from the last a second too late. The swords tip laced his upper arm, and he grunted. The man did not break from his attack, whirling, preparing to bring the full weight of his sword into his neck.

We didn't think, we just acted upon instinct, running headfirst into battle. Juvia ran to aid Gray while I slammed into Gajeel's attacker, taking him completely by surprise. He dropped his sword as we rolled in the dirt a bit and struggled. He gained the upper hand and tried to punch me, but I moved my head to the side and bucked my hips, sending him flying off me. I spring to my feet just in time to see him charging at me. Without thinking I immediately punched him in the nose with my right hand and decked him in the jaw with my left palm, denting his helmet horribly. He crumpled to his knees.

Up ahead I see Juvia block one man's attack with her sword and kicking the other hard enough to make him lose with balance. Gray whirls around wide eyed and amazed at the sight of Juvia fighting against a man twice her size, and winning. Her opponent swings his sword the other way as if to slice her left leg, but Juvia jumps up, stepping on his sword for more momentum. Spinning mid air she slams back of her foot to the side of his face. His helmet dented inwards and he fell to his knees. "Focus, Gray!" She yelled at him as she dodged an attack from the second man. Grays eyes widened and he jumped away just as his original opponent, who had tried to slice his head off from behind.

There were only five left Phantom Lord knights left. I shot forward to help Natsu when out of nowhere a large knight appears and plucks me off the ground by the waist and spins me so I'm hanging upside down, surprising me so much I drop my sword. "Erza!" I hear Jellal yell in rage but I ignore him. 'Focus!' I growl to myself as I hook my legs around the knights head so that my knees are crushing his temples, surprising him so much he lets go of my waist. Taking that opportunity I crunch forward so my head is level with his side, the momentum causing the knight to flip over and land on his back while I land ungracefully on my butt. _'Ow ow ow! I'm definitely going to feel that in the morning.'_ I thought with a wince.

"Erza! Are you alright?" Jellal said urgently, kneeling down and grabbing my shoulders, scanning me for injuries. He shook me a little when I didn't immediately respond.

"Fine. Fine." I ground out while rubbing my butt a little.

"Mard Geer must've tampered with Phantom Lords armor." Natsu growled angrily. "Magic won't work much if they're wearing it."

We were silent for a moment before Gray spoke up. "We need to keep moving."

No one questioned him.

 **A/N:** **This was supposed to be posted like, five days ago but I completely forgot XDXD My bad! Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Juvia POV**

"Can't say I ever thought I'd see us in purple," Natsu said with disgust as he mounted his horse.

"Shut up, flame brain." Gray scowled as he adjusted the Phantom Lord armor. Jellal looked just as uncomfortable and awkward in the armor but he wore it nonetheless. I laughed under my breath- they looked like they were more willing to put on a dress than to wear Phantom Lord armor. Once they were ready I kicked Pollux in the flanks, he and Castor had come back about five minutes after we finished taking out the Phantom Lord knights. We needed to hurry, if we weren't inside the castle gates before word reached them that the Phantom Lord forces had been overrun by the town knights, we'd never get in. We had already lost precious minutes, battling those soldiers.

When we reached the cobblestone entry road we paused so that they could get situated, posing as wounded soldiers. It helped that there was blood on all of them. Natsu went as far as to lie across the saddle, arms dangling. Jellal hunched forward, as if barely holding on. We pressed on as fast as we could and paused before the massive castle gates.

"Open up!" Erza yelled and I looked over my shoulder as if we were being pursued. "It's Erza Scarlet and Juvia Lockser. Lord Jose has sent us to retrieve our sisters!"

Four knights stared down at me from the wall above. The little peephole window slid open, and a man peered out at us.

"Hurry!" I said. "We just barely escaped. Let us in!"

The man's small eyes shifted to the violet on Grays shoulder and then to the others. "I do not know those men."

Natsu groaned and shifted.

"They said that they are mercenaries, hired by Lord Jose," Erza said hurriedly. "But they're no one to us. I simply believed you would want to take in your own wounded."

Still, the man paused.

"Leave them here if necessary then," I bit out, "but let us in already. You're trying Juvia patience." I lifted my chin and clamped my lips together. "Lord Jose will certainly be hearing-"

The man groaned and slid the tiny door shut. Perhaps he was a henpecked husband, and he'd decided to risk Jose's wrath rather than my whining.

I heard the bolt lock clang, and the beam begin to slide. I felt the corner of my lip curling in victory, but then I bit the side of my cheek, regaining my angry edge. We needed to stay in character. We moved forward into the courtyard as if we intended to drop the injured soldiers' reins into the gateman's hands.

It was then we saw eight knights, hands on the hilts of their swords, advancing, two from either side. "No!" I yelled, "You're spooking our horses!" Pollux and Castor, seeming to understand what we wanted them to do, reared on their hind legs, we leaned forward hard, determined to keep our seat. The men paused, surprised, confused, and when they came back down on all four hooves, they pressed forward, as if out of our control, trotting away, dragging the four mounts behind us. We were quickly on the other side of the courtyard. "Now," Erza said lowly.

Our 'wounded soldiers' sprang from their horses, each drawing their weapons as we ran to the door and opened it. We all raced for the door, slamming and barricading it shut behind us, just as the men rammed up against it in pursuit.

"This way," Erza said, running down the hall to the door that led to the dungeon.

"We I need to find a way to keep those gates open, or we won't be able to escape," Jellal said.

Gajeel nodded once. "Flame brain and I will go with them. Gray can help you."

Gray nodded and turned to me. "Do you know of another way out of here?" he asked.

I thought back to my last visit. Did I remember someone leaving from the side, toward the back? When I looked back to see Levy and Lucy in the window?

"There might be a passageway, back there and to the left." I pointed.

I watched, still a little stunned as he and Jellal turned and ran to the back of the building, in search of my alternative exit.

'You had to go and fall for a guy who goes all-in for a cause….' I thought with a sigh. 'And the guy who has zero interest in you too.'

"Come on," Natsu said, interrupting my thoughts and easing through the door. We crept down the stairs, taking a sputtering torch with us. At the bottom, Gajeel lit another torch, which he handed to Erza as we moved forward.

They hadn't even bothered to lock the dungeon. A shiver of fear rolled down my back. What if they had moved them? What if they weren't there? What if they were? What if their hands were paralyzed after spending a night hanging from them?

Gajeel and Natsu stepped into the room at the bottom of the stairs and then stood stock-still. I peeked around the corner. Of course, it had to be him. Of all of the Phantom Lord knights of course they choose the one that looks like freaking Goliath to guard two small girls.

"We're here to retrieve our sisters. Lord Jose promised us their release." Erza said, leaving no space for argument. They were in a cell behind the Hulk, sitting up at the sound of Erza's voice. "Release them. Now. And send us off with the promised gold as well. We must be away."

The guard didn't move. He just stared at us so steadily, so coldly, I again imagined he was seeing right through me. "Who are they?" he asked, flicking his eyes toward Gajeel and Natsu.

"That doesn't matter." I said, edging a bit between Gajeel and him. If he recognized them as Jellal's brothers...

"It matters to me," he said, eyes narrowing.

"We are in love," Gajeel said, stepping forward and slipping a hand in mine, Natsu doing the same to Erza. I struggled to keep my expression in order, lifting my chin as if I was verifying his words as truth. "Once we are safely at the border, we plan exchange our vows."

' _Excuse me, what?! He can't possibly fall for tha-'_

Lucy and Levy were now at the front of the cell, hands wrapped around the bars. I took in a little breath and cast them an encouraging smile.

The knight stepped closer to Erza and said lowly, "I thought it was Jellal who loved you."

"He was," Erza said, letting a wicked smile turn up the corners of my mouth. "He was so lovesick, he never saw that my heart had been claimed by another. It gave us an advantage in opening the gates this night. We have done what Lord Jose asked of us. Now honor our bargain."

He whipped out his hand so fast I didn't even realize it was his hand until I saw it pressing cruelly into the sides of Erza's throat. I heard the slide of Gajeel's and Natsu's sword as three knights- just as large- appear from the shadows and attack us. I immediately whip out my sword and bring it up to block the on coming attack.

"Do you think I'm stupid," he ground out. "You're lying."

Levy, Lucy, and I cry out as he turns Erza around and slammed to the stone wall. I could see Natsu and Gajeel doing their best to battle the massive Phantom Lord knights, but they were not faring very well since their magic was practically useless due to their enhanced armor. I jump back just in time as my attacker tries to slice me in half.

"What is going on here? Tell me now, and you might just survive this night." He growled at Erza. From the corner of my eye I see Erza slip her hand under her cape, as if holding her chest, still trying to recover, then she unsheathed her knife and sliced his arm, then sprang away, raising the dagger between them.

"You little bitch!" he snarled, holding his bleeding arm for a moment before reaching for the sword strapped to his back.

I kept retreating, fiending, and dodging attacks from my own opponent as I tried to form a plan in my head. They're really large, so they can't be all that fast. I just need an opening...

"Juvia!" Lucy cried.

I glanced over to her and then to Erza, who was up against the wall, her leg pushing against the hulking knight who was trying to shove his sword into her throat. Erza's leg trembled; sweat rolled down her flushed face. The giant knight's face was red and sweaty too, determined.

' _That's it!'_ I jump away from another attack and keep retreating until I'm about a foot away from Erza's struggle. Thinking he has me cornered he lunges forward, sword first, fully intending to pin me to the wall through my stomach. Leaping away at the last minute his sword stabs through Erza's attacker, completely missing me. Using my attackers panicked shock in to our advantage Erza cups her hand around my foot and throws me upward. Spinning in the air I bring the heel of my foot down on his collarbone, effectively breaking it and causing him to drop his weapon.

Breathing heavily, we stumble forward to help Natsu and Gajeel but quickly realize that they managed to beat their opponents too. With trembling fingers I pull the ring of keys from the main giant's belt, slightly afraid that he might not be dead, even though there was a sword still lodged in his back, like in some freaky horror movie. Gajeel, panting, wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and then stumbled over to the stairwell. He held his breath for a second, listening.

"Anyone coming?" Erza whispered.

"No," he whispered back while walking back.

"But we'd better hurry up. I doubt the Phantom Lord guards are faking their own deaths, helping Jellal and Gray open the gates." Natsu grumbled, bent over still trying to catch his breath. "Goddamn bastard was tough to beat without magic." His eyes shifted from us to Lucy and Levy as I finally found the right key, shoved it in and turned it.

They came through the door and drew us into a fierce hug.

"That was freaking scary!!" Levy cried as she shot forward and wrapped her arms around me.

"I thought he had you there for a moment!" Lucy yelled while hugging Erza.

We didn't hesitate to squeeze them back, then we turned to Gajeel and Natsu.

"Holy fireballs," Natsu said in awe. "We might fight our way out of here, but then we'll have to spend the rest of our lives defending the Fairy Tail gates, with four ladies as lovely as you behind them."

I laughed and Erza rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Natsu, Gajeel, meet my sisters Lucy and Levy."

"Hey." Gajeel grunted, immediately looking away with red cheeks when Levy smiled shyly. I all but cried at the cuteness.

Natsu, on the other hand, wasted no time at all. He crossed the room as if he had all the time in the world, his eyes never leaving Lucy's. He took her hand, and then bent to kiss her knuckles, his eyes still not leaving hers. I heard Lucy's breath catch in her throat.

"Natsu," Erza said, pulling them out of their own little world. "We need to get up to the courtyard, right?"

His eyes sharpened, and the dreamy haze disappeared. Our fire knight was back. He turned, hurried over to the wall of weapons, and began shoving daggers into his belt. We did the same. "Are you decent with a sword too?" he asked over his shoulder to Levy and Lucy.

"Us? No," Lucy said.

"They're archers, remember?" Erza said.

"Ahh, right," he said, eyebrow cocked. "Great!."

"Yeah, yeah, Romeo," I muttered, grabbing the two leather quivers of arrows from him and handing them to them. They already had the bows in their hands and were looking at them like they were some museum artifact- which, of course, they could've been. "Come on."

My mind was on Gray again. We ran up the stairs and out the building from the side, edging around it.

Guards at the top of the castle were charging forward, to the front gates, when we first heard it. The sound was loud enough that it reverberated in our chests, a tremendous pounding. They were here, the town reinforcements, trying to storm the gates, to break them with a massive battering ram. The sound became rhythmic within a minute's time, a tremendous pounding, a battle between trees.

Gajeel curved an eye around the corner, and it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing him aside and looking for myself.

"Juvs," Levy hissed, and I immediately flattened myself against the wall again.

A knight ran by, not ten feet above us on the wall. I was sure all six sets of our eyeballs followed his every move. But his attention was outward, not inward.

"Oi, Juvia!" Gajeel said over his shoulder. He was moving out.

"Stay behind us," Erza said to Levy and Lucy. There was little need to urge them.

Natsu and Gajeel, hunched over, scurried to an outbuilding twenty feet away, and after a second's hesitation, we followed suit. But halfway across, I spotted them.

Gray and Jellal were under attack.

And in grave danger.

"Lu, Lev," Erza mumbled.

They straightened, beside me, and Lucy's wrapped around my upper arm. "Which is her's?" I could practically hear her grin.

"Bluenette," I whispered. But I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by fear for them.

They were trying to keep six knights at bay, six more were coming from doors, and four men were drawing arrows on them from up above.

We were about to watch them die.

"Le-…

But they were already moving forward, calmly crossing the courtyard like they owned it, ignoring both Natsu's and Gajeel's harsh whispers. Their attention was on the archers above who were pulling back their bowstrings, taking aim. Both Lucy and Levy took aim, paused, sensed the wind, and revised their aim. Then they let their arrows fly.

I watched it, as if in slow motion, as their arrows shot past each other in an X shape, hitting their targets in the throat with death-like precision. But they weren't done. Lucy was already on one knee, squinting and taking aim at the the other two as one turned, spotting us. She let the next arrow fly, and the arrow struck him in the chest, driving him backward, over the parapet wall. Levy was drawing a another arrow, and aiming it at one of the six Phantom Lord soldiers that Gray and Jellal were fighting.

"Stars above, I think I'm in love," Natsu growled, running past me, sword drawn, to go to his brothers aid. Gajeel looked like he was thinking the exact same thing as he stared at tiny adorable Levy for a moment before running behind Natsu to help. Erza and I drew our swords and ran after him, shouting, trying to draw the attention of Gray's and Jellal's attackers. Gray tripped and fell to his back and stilled, watching his opponent as the man drew back his spiked ball.

I stumbled, watching him, and almost went to the dirt myself. But then I saw him dodge the pounding swing and leap to his feet from his back. He smiled and whirled, bringing his sword around, again at play, not yet beaten. His smile allowed me to take what seemed like my first breath since I spotted him, surrounded. Hope surged through me. We just might get out, I thought. We might win!

I ran forward, and clashed with the first knight, felling the jarring clang of our swords as Gray caught sight of me and mouthed my name but the battle too loud to make out the syllables. At the same time, Lucy and Levy took down two more knights from the walls with their arrows just as Erza narrowly saved Jellal from a death blow, I knew we were gaining.

Impossibly, we were gaining.

 _A/N: OMLOMLOML I'M SORRY IT'S SHORT BUT YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I WAS TO FINALLY PUBLISH THIS, BUT I'M EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! I WON'T SPOIL IT BUT *SQUEEEE* I HOPE YOU LOVE IT TOO!!!_ _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE: drop a review_


	19. Chapter 19

**A/n: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, hope you enjoy!!!** **Erza POV**

It seem to happen in slow motion. One minute we were winning, and then suddenly Mard Geer appeared from the shadows, his face grinning darkly as he whispered in my ear. _'You knew what the cost of betrayal would be, Erza Scarlet.'_ I immediately looked up to Lucy and Levy, but they were still safely taking out phantom soldiers. I whirled back around to face him, but he was gone. It wasn't until then that I saw it.

"Look out!" I screamed just a second too late.

My heart stops as I watch Juvia spin around just as an enormous thorned vine came at her. I helplessly watch her jump away, but not fast enough. Something hot sparked in me I witness a thorn slice her from her hipbone to her stomach. Juvia gasped and leaned forward a bit, as if more surprised than in pain. Levy screamed and dashed down stairs as fast as she could, sprinting over to Juvia just as pressed a hand to her side slightly perplexed at the blood that was oozing from her hand. Dazed, Juvia looked up and met my eyes just as her knees began to wobble. Levy made it just in time to catch Juvia, gently easing her down as a pool of blood began to form around her.

All noise seemed to be muffled as I turned around just as multiple vines of thorns shot out from all directions, surrounding the entirety of the Phantom Lord castle, grabbing both our allies and our enemies, wrapping them in a tight grip. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and Jellal tried to fend off the thorns with magic, but it was coming too fast. They soon found themselves wrapped in it too.

' **You were warned the price of betrayal, Erza Scarlet.'**

I looked back to Juvia again, Levy was sobbing while desperately applying pressure to Juvia's wound and I watch as Juvia's breathing became more and more labored. Gajeel and Gray cried out Juvia's name in alarm, but all I could really focus on was the enormous pile of blood that was pooling around Juvia. So much blood…

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!! "

All my senses rushed back to me when heard Mard Geer laughing maniacally while staring right at me, relishing in my torment.

I finally snapped.

"I'VE….. HAD…. _ENOUGH_!" I yelled to the sky as the hot feeling in me exploded into a red magic circle, my hair flying about my face wildly from the force of it. " ** _REQUIP: HEAVEN WHEELS ARMOR!"_**

A bright light surrounds me as my current armor changes into a much longer skirt that was covered in feather-like silver plating and a revealing breast plate. A tiara and two large wings appear on my back. Lastly, two magic swords appear in my hands and over a dozen swords spin in a circle behind me.

Wasting no time I immediately jump up and furiously shout " ** _DANCE, MY BLADES!"_** and with a wave of my hand the amount of swords behind me double and triple as they spin even faster before shooting out in all directions, effectively slicing the vines and beginning the process of setting everyone free.

Mard Geers laughter stopped as he stared at me in shock. "You're a witch!"

 ** _"TRINITY SWORD!"_** I yelled as I jumped at him, slashing my swords at him in a delta formation. He immediately called up a thick wall of vines to protect himself. The crash was loud and made the wall break. Mard Geer slid back from the impact of the collision, raising an arm to protect his face from they flying debris. Once it all settled he lowered his arm and squinted through the dust and debris. A flash of red was his only warning before my fist connected solidly with his face, knocking him back several feet into a wall, cracking and denting it horribly. He hacked and coughed, raising his hand to grab onto a vine to lift him out of the way seconds before the sword I threw could pin him there through his stomach.

Gritting my teeth, I run full speed at the wall before jumping and sprinting horizontally up the wall, wrenching my sword out of the wall in the process. I then push off the wall and rush forward, attacking Mard Geer relentlessly from all directions. At first he clumsily brought vines up to stop my attacks while stumbling back, but then he suddenly smirked and two vines burst from the ground in front of him coming straight at me.

"Tss… You're no stronger than any of the other witches I've taken out!" He yelled while attacking me from all sides with his vines.

I jump and flip out of the way, skidding to a halt to catch my breath. **_"REQUIP: CELESTIAL ARMOR_**!!"

A white light surrounds me again as I switch armors while continuing to dodge his vines. Soon there were so many all I could see were his vines and all I could do was dodge the thorns.

"Hahahaha! Look at you! I have you jumping all over the place like a puppet!" Mard Geer laughed.

From the corner of my eye I saw Jellal and his brothers, still struggling out of the vines since I unequipped my swords could completely finish cutting them out, except, Jellal wasn't trying to get out. He was too busy staring at me with open disbelief and….awe. His eyes shifted from mine, to my armor, then back at me before they lost focus for a second and widened. "ERZA LOOK OU-"

My distraction was all Mard Geer needed. He appeared suddenly, running up one of the vines and catching me completely off guard. His kick to my stomach sent me flying upwards and he used a vine to catch me in mid air, squeezing the air out of my lungs and slowly trying to kill me. I heard Jellal yell my name but I squeeze my eyes shut as the thorny vines tighten more and more on me.

Mard Geer rose calmly on a vine as more and more vines appeared. Lucy and Levy screamed and cried as they were dragged away Juvia's lifeless body, blood still oozing from her wound. They tried to lung back towards her but the vines merely tightened their grip. He leaned closely to me, putting a hand under my chin and forcefully turning my head so I would meet his eye. "Such a shame I have to kill such a beautiful creature." He said with a wicked smile. I glared at him. "You won't get away with this!" I screamed at him while struggling against my restraints.

He laughed at my retort. "Oh, but you see Erza, that's where this becomes interesting! I am actually a hero! Would you like to know why?" I glare at him. "No? well I'll tell you anyway. You see, I saved the day by killing a crazed witch that used the siege on Fairy Tail as an opportunity to massacre countless Phantom Lord soldiers." My bangs overshadowed my eyes as he reached up a hand to cradle my cheek.

 _"Don't touch her!!"_ Jellal yelled angrily, struggling to get out of the vines but Mard Geer ignored him, focusing only on me. "So really, I have you to thank Erza. Thanks to you, my council judgement won't be as harsh. AhahAHAHAHA-"

A bright red glow from the ground caught his attention even through all his writhing vines. "What the-"

Before he can comprehend what is happening I slice through his vines with the dagger I used against the giant knight earlier and grab Mard Geer, pinning his arms to his sides with my legs as he stared up at me in horror.

"THEN I'LL MAKE SURE THE SEVEN STARS JUDGE YOU MORE HARSHLY!!!" The red light becomes brighter and all seven seals I had scattered around while I was dodging Mard Geers vines earlier revealed themselves. Jellal's eyes widen in alarm when he recognized the pattern of the seals. "ERZA! STOP! YOU'LL KILL US ALL!!"

" ** _GRAND CHARIOT!!!"_** I yell loudly as my body is engulfed in a white light. Red beams shoot up to the sky from each seal, becoming larger and brighter the closer as we near the ground. The floor cracks and breaks from the immensity of it all and large boulders from the torn ground go flying and everything is engulfed in a bright blinding light that can been seen for miles.

When it's all over, I'm standing beside a large crater, breathing heavily in my Adamantine armor. The barrier I encased around Levy, Juvia, Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Jellal in order to protect them from the spell flickers a bit before dissolving entirely along with my armor. They emerged unscathed. There is nothing left except for a few dead vines and a large crater in the middle of what used to be the Phantom Lord courtyard. The last thing I remember was Jellal calling out my name as I wobbled a bit before I falling to my knees and face planting in the dirt.

 ** _Flashback:_**

 _I watch excitedly as I wait for my turn to open my birthday present. We had flour and icing all over ourselves since our guardian insisted we bake the cake together._

 _"Alright, calm down everyone it's present time!" Our guardian said while smiling at me brightly while stepping away from a large box that she really wasn't doing a good job at hiding. We all gasp and I jump up and down excitedly._

 _"Is it from that far away place you always go to?" Levy asks with sparkling eyes._

 _Our guardians smiles down at her and nods. "This one especially took me a long time to find. Over three months!"_

 _Lucy giggled. "But you've never left us alone more than a few hours!"_ _She laughs._

 _"Indeed, I haven't."_

 _"Juvia is dying of curiosity! Open it Erza-chan!"_

 _With a nod from our guardian I dash forward and rip the wrapping from the box._

 _"ARMOR?!" I squeal excitedly as Levy, Juvia, and Lucy huddle around me and awe at the large armor._

 _"It's not just any armor Erza. It's a special defense armor. Best one I could find." Our guardian said, clearly pleased with herself. "It's called Adamantine armor."_

 _Unable to contain my excitement I yell **"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"** A red magic circle forms at my feet but nothing happens. I frown and try again. Same result._

 _"Maybe it's broken?" Juvia suggested after my third try._

 _I shook my head. "It's new! It can't be broken already."_

 _"This armor will take time for you to master, Erza. You're only six years old. Remember how long it took you to even summon your Heaven Wheels armor?" Our guardian asked me with a gentle smile._

 _"A year…" I mumbled dejectedly._

 _"Exactly! Tomorrow we can begin training for your new armor, for now, let's finish this delicious strawberry cake we made!"_

 _My eyes light up at the mention of strawberry cake and we all run back to the kitchen table._

 ** _Flashback end_**

I slowly try to blink away my fuzzy vision and gather myself. But bit by bit, from the outside in, each inch of what I could see was clarified and I internally panicked for a moment, unsure of where I was. I blinked once more before I recognized that I was in a room, not in a dungeon. My head whips in the direction of the door when I hear someone opening it.

"Erza!" Is all I hear before Lucy throws herself at me and crushes me in a tight hug. She has quite a grip. "Thank heavens you're awake!"

"Ju-Juvia" I croaked, my throat a bit dry.

"She's fine. Levy sewed her up."

My jaw hit the floor as I stared at her incredulously. "Levy? Our Levy McGarden sewed Juvia's open wound up?!" I all but shrieked as Lucy handed me a cup of water.

Lucy grinned a bit as she nodded and handed me a cup of water. She watched me drink for a moment before biting her lip nervously. "You were asleep for three days Erza."

 _Damn_.

"...Well it has been a long time since…"

Lucy nodded when I let my sentence hang. "Juvia woke up yesterday. She's been wanting to see you for a while."

I throw my legs over the side of the bed and test how steady I was. I wobbled a bit but I refused any help from Lucy.

 **Juvia POV**

It was Levy who had sewn me up. That was enough of a shock that I almost melted back into a week of unconsciousness. Our tiny, Weak-kneed, slightly green at the sight of manure or moldy cheese in the fridge Levy, had found it in herself to disinfect my wound with alcohol- thank heavens I had been unconscious- thread a needle with sinew, and sew up my side like I was an elementary school project.

Imagine my shock when I woke up and was told that Gray himself raced me back to Fairy Tail, screaming at everyone to find a medic. The nearest one ways days away so Levy stepped in. She saved my life. Unfortunately,not that I'm alive she wont stop teasing me about jow Gray would come every day to check on me. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was worried for me! I was more worried for Erza though. It had been over ten years since she used her magic, and of course, she over exerted herself in doing that Grand Chariot spell.

I lifted my shirt and stared at my six-inch wound again, gaping at the perfect, even curves of each stitch.

I looked up just as I heard Erza's voice say "My gosh, Levy actually did it."

"Erza!" I cried happily, wincing in pain when I move my still tender wound a little too much. Erza immediately rushes to my side and pushes me back down onto the mattress and examines my wound up close. "They'll have to come out" she whispered quietly while throwing me an apologetic glance.

I closed my eyes and winced, thinking of the pain to come. But not yet. Levy explained to me that we had to let the flesh weave itself together again without letting the sinew become embedded within it.

I could feel the whisper of air as Lucy fell to her knees beside me. "What are we going to do? They're calling us ….princess warriors. Literally. They think we're All That and more. And that Tall dark guy and Natsu are following Levy and I around everywhere we go." She rolled her eyes.

'That's super cute.' I almost squealed. Even Erza was smirking.

"Well, you and Levy saved all our lives with your arrows," I said. "I'd bet you money they've never seen a woman do that before."

She shook her head. "How are we going to get out of this? Erza already revealed that she's, what these people call, a witch and I pretty sure they're suspecting us too."

I closed my eyes, heaved a sigh, and then peeked at her. "I have no idea.… How is Simon??"

"Oh, amazing," Levy said. "Apparently, that's just another reason to throw us a big party. They're all excited because he's back from the dead or something."

Erza and I looked at each other and smiled. I for one, was afraid that I'd wake up to find Simon gone, even buried.

Levy rose and gestured in the direction of the courtyard. "You guys, everyone's been going crazy out there every since they found out Juvia woke up, and now that you're both back from the brink, there's no way they're going to be able to hold it off any longer."

Erza's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"It sounds like the entire town is coming in for the celebration." I said. "Something about a three-day feast to celebrate our victory. And we're the guests of honor."

Victory. Phantom Lord defeated. For Fairy Tail, it would be huge.

"I don't get it." Erza said quietly. "Jellal and the others saw first hand that I wield magic. I heard firsthand from Mira that witches are to be executed on sight. Why did they bring me back?"

Lucy said the only thing that came to mind. "The he must really like you."

Erza shook her head and began pacing. "This goes beyond that, Lucy. His own mother was killed by a witch! There's no way he can just find out I'm one of them and just be okay with it. Most likely, the only reason he hasn't told everyone in Fairy Tail that I'm a witch is cause he feels indebted to us for saving his life, his brothers' lives, and his cousins life."

She had us there.

"We have to get back to the tomb." Lucy said quietly. "Try it together. I mean, to make the jump back."

"Maybe we can get you to the tomb on my own somehow," Levy said, looking at my side again. "It'd be better if we could get you home and to the doctor."

"And how do we explain that?" Erza asked, pointing to my side.

"That'll be tricky," she said, pursing her lips. "I still can't believe I did that, sewed you up. Ha! And Minerva teased me for reading DIY sewing books! Who's laughing now, Minerva!?" Levy laughed while shaking a tiny fist in the air.

A knock sounded at the door, startling us all, and a moment later, Mira peeked in. She looked at me with her kind eyes. "I thought you'd enjoy a bath."

Her eyes widened and she squealed uncharacteristically when she saw Erza sitting beside me like nothing happened. "You're awake!! Oh my gosh you're finally awake!!" She shot across the room and hugged Erza tightly.

"Of course. Juvia gets wounded in battle and Erza gets all the credit." I joked in english with a giggle. Lucy and Levy laugh as Erza just awkwardly pats Mira on the back but almost as immediately as she had grabbed her, Mira pushes her away in shock. "Oh my gosh you're awake! You're awake! I have to- I have to-"

"Don't hurt yourself, Mira." Erza sweatdropped.

"I have to tell Simon and the others" She said while bolting to the door, her voice carrying down the hall.

"I need to tell them right away!"

We stared at each other questioningly, wondering what exactly just happened, when a large yell of joy came from the courtyard.

"Well, sounds like everyone knows your both awake now…" Lucy said with an awkward chuckle.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I just want to clear somthing up, the reason the guys seemed like they were holding back a lot in the last battle was because Mard Geer tampered with the Phantom Lord armor and basically made it immune to the guys magic so their magic attacks were basically useless. Sorry if I didnt make that clear! Also, Jellal knew Erza was lying about the fiance thing, in case I didnt make that clear either XDXD**

 **Erza POV**

Much to our surprise, and relief, no one came barging in for the rest of the day. It wasn't till several hours later that Mira returned with four servants each lugging a large trunk. They each set the trunks down on the edge of the room and left, never looking in our direction. Mira stood there grinning as she began to open the trunks. "Gifts, for you and your sisters."

Lucy and Levy, who had been braiding our hair out of boredom, stopped and leaned over to see what it could possibly be. Mira flipped the brass latch on the first two trunks and opened it. She pulled from the first one a magnificent orange gown, embroidered with what looked like a silver thread. From the next trunk, she pulled out a majestic pink gown that was embroidered with gold thread. "For you, Miss Levy and Miss Lucy," she said, dragging it across her arms and carrying it across the room.

"Oh, my word," I breathed as I stared at it in awe. It was amazing. And it was literally their favorite colors. "With your hair… my goodness." Juvia's eyes sparkled, imagining them in the dresses.

"No one will be able to keep their eyes off of you." I finished, mirroring her expression. Both Lucy and Levy were practically drooling as they ogled the dresses like little girls.

"I can't argue with that, but they'll have firm competitors in their sisters," Mira said, going to the third and fourth trunks. From them, she pulled a ruby red silk gown, this one embedded with tiny rubies all across the bodice and the hem of the dress. Juvia gasped when she opened the last trunk and saw a blue dress that literally looked like flowing water that started light at the top then darkened as it neared the floor and was embroidered at the bodice and hem with- are those DIAMONDS?!

I gaped at her. "I can't wear such a thing. It is way too beautiful."

Juvia, Levy, and Lucy nodded frantically in agreement.

"It is only fitting for them to honor you so," Mira said with a dismissive snort, "If not for you four, Phantom Lord would have never been destroyed."

"But Juvia's wound," Juvia said, pouting, "She'll never be able to wear that gown."

"Nonsense," Mira said. " Gray has seen to every detail. He had the seamstresses cut it a couple of inches wider so that there will be plenty of room to bind your wound so it won't chafe."

Juvia stayed in shocked silence, her mouth hanging open at the announcement that Gray had been the one to order the dress for her.

I looked her in the eye. "This is a gift from Gray?"

"Juvia's dress? Yes," Mira said, smiling at me quizzically as if to say 'Who else?' "Your dress was from Jellal."

I joined Juvia in her shocked expression.

Lucy and Levy turned to Mira. "Are our gowns from Jellal and Gray as well?"

"Actually, I think that was more of Natsu and Gajeel's doing," she said with a tap to her chin and with that, she went out the door, closing it softly behind her. The silence stretched on before Lucy spoke up.

"Okay, I so wanna wear that gown."

Levy immediately jumped a little on the bed, "Ha! I knew I wasn't the only one! I've never seen anything so pretty. It's like something out of a dream." She went over to it, lifted it into her hands, and then draped it across her body.

I smiled and shook my head. "You'll both look amazing in those."

"You and Juvia be gorgeous in yours, too."

Juvia looked giddy with excitement. I looked at my own and then back to her, hope lifting my heart. We don't have to go. Yet. "So…we'll try to get to the tomb after the feast?"

They didn't answer me for a moment.

"What's one or two more days?" Lucy finally said, cracking a smile. "We don't have to stay for the entire feast, right? And Juvia still needs a few more days to heal. Gildarts would freak if he saw those sinew stitches."

Levy didn't seem to disagree and Juvia squealed in excitement, begging us to show her the dress again. A knocked at the door interrupts our little dress up party

Lucy walks to the door and opens it a crack, Juvia whispers, "Who is it?"

"Simon," she responds, opening the door a bit wider so we can see him at the doorway, leaning heavily on the arm of his servant.

"Simon," I scolded while getting up to help him to a chair. "You shouldn't have gone through the trouble of climbing all the way up here."

His eyes, beneath concerned brows, he grinned and said: "I thought I'd come to save you from boredom and read you a book."

This immediately got Levy's attention. "Yes, please!"

Her eagerness made Simon laugh. "You must be Levy, your sisters have told me about you. You are quite smaller than I imagined though."

Levy pouted at that.

"Juvia is so happy, you seem better than last time we saw you," Juvia said.

He gave her a rueful smile. "I bear no wound of battle like you, just the ones I bear in my lungs."

Juvia reached out and put a hand on his arm. "It is enough."

He patted her hand and looked at all of us fondly. "You all have done so much for me, for Fairy Tail, for the town. We are eternally grateful to all of you."

I smiled. "We only did what we could. Although honestly, we were mostly fighting to get Lucy and Levy free more than anything. "

He raised the golden volume. "Shall we?"

We nodded and Juvia scooted over on the bed so Lucy, Levy, and I could all snuggle beside her, careful not to touch her wound. Simon sat at the foot of the bed and began to read. His voice was surprisingly strong, but he still paused often to catch his breath. About thirty minutes to the reading Levy jumped a bit, startling us since we were just a few pages from conking out.

"Please. Read that last line again." She almost yelled while shaking Lucy and me.

" ' _To get back up to the shining world from there,'_ " Simon read again, " ' _They must go into that hidden tunnel; Where they will come forth, and once more see the stars.'_ " He lowered the book as we looked at each other with startled eyes. "What caught your attention?" He asked with a frown.

"May...May I see the cover of that book?" Lucy asked. Simon closed the book and turned it so we could see the old, worn hardback cover. It was so old that if you hadn't seen the image before it would just look like a blob of dark patches. But we had seen the image before. It was four handprints, exactly like in the tombs.

"Who wrote this Simon?" Levy pressed, trying to hide just how visibly shaken she was.

"I don't know, it was given to my late aunt from an old friend of hers. She cherished it greatly." Simon stroked the worn cover of the book gently. "Oddly enough, she kept it in a wooden box hidden in the library, but my cousins followed her one day and saw where she hid it. My cousins have already read it but I've never read it until now, it's quite a remarkable story."

"This friend," I continued. "Are they still alive?"

Simon gave us a sad smile, "Unfortunately, she disappeared many months before my aunt's death." He gave us a confused look. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Oh, umm, just curious if the author was one I had heard of in Bellum." Levy stuttered. He didn't seem all too convinced but he let the matter drop. He left about an hour later, leaving us more confused than ever before.

It was late when he left so Levy and Lucy insisted that I get some rest and they would take turns watching over Juvia at night. I had little strength to argue with so I let them have their way this time. Imagine my surprise when I wake up the next morning and find Jellal seated right beside my bed, staring down at me with such a soft expression that I panic and bolt upright and put as much distance between us as possible.

"Erza-"

"I'm sorry!" I repeated over and over again. "I'm sorry I lied! I'm sorry I almost got you and our brothers killed! I'm sorry that I'm one of the vile creatures that are responsible for your mothe-"

Jellal silenced me by reaching over and sealing his lips over mine. I made a surprised gasping noise and Jellal took that opportunity to deepen the kiss for a moment. Two seconds before I pass out- from shock or lack of air, whichever came first- he pulls away and gathers me in his arms. "You are nothing like the monster that killed my mother." He said strongly.

"B-but-"

"Listen to me, Erza." He said, absentmindedly stroking my hair. "The witch that killed my mother inherited dark magic. For as long as magic has existed in women, it has always been dark magic. But you," He gently pushed me away and held me at arm's length and stared at me with an intense look in his eye. "Your magic is unheard of, and it most definitely is not dark magic. You used your magic to protect your sisters and to protect us. I'll admit, I did doubt you for a minute when I recognized the spell you had cast." He gave me a guilty look. "But when you formed the protection field around us I lost all doubts. You are not a witch. You are a wizard, like me. The first female wizard."

A wizard….

"I apologize for not visiting you sooner, Erza." He drew me back into his arms and began to stroke my hair again and I was so relieved that he didn't hate me that I let him. "I constantly thought of you, but there is so much to do with the feast happening so soon. My father wasn't prepared for such a task so our days"- I assumed he was talking about him and his brothers- "have been spent with cooks, bakers, vintners, falconers, and dignitaries, all swirling in plans for the grand meals and festivities over the next days."

I nodded, but I lifted my eyes to meet his. "'Is all of this really necessary? Couldn't Fairy Tail have this party in town?"

He smiled and shook his head. "This is a great deal to Fairy Tail, where better to celebrate it than here."

He had me there. "Jellal, what happened to Jose?"

"He was captured by the town knights and is currently waiting to be transported to the Grand Council for judgment." His eyes flicked away, to the window. "Given his actions, they won't give him a light punishment."

I nodded, silently mulling over that information. I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed to hear he was still alive. A man like that could quickly gather a mini army and raise havoc against Fairy Tail. Not that I thought Fairy Tail could lose to him, but he could take innocent lives down with him. Also, if he was still alive that meant Juvia, Levy, Lucy and I were still in danger.

"Erza, we must speak of something else."

My eyes moved to his.

"Carmen and Ava are arriving tomorrow. With their families."

I studied him, waiting. Knowing I should tell him the truth, tell him I was on my way out and that it couldn't work between the two of us.

"I'll break our pledge, make it clear to both Carmen and her father that no union will be formed between our families."

I frowned, even though my heart pounded with hope. It was not good for Jellal to end his plans with Carmen. She wouldn't go down without a fight; she'd try to bring me down with her. She definitely had a ' _If I can't have him, neither can you.'_ vibe. We'd all suffer her wrath and her father's wrath.

Jellal was feeling strong, invincible even, with the capture of Phantom Lord, their main threat. But didn't Fairy Tail need every protection possible? I mean, they were on the border, if someone else was to attack, Fairy Tail needed to know they could rely on reinforcements from a family as powerful as Carmen's.

Jellal was studying me. "Erza, do you doubt me? Doubt my feelings for you?" He leaned down and placed his forehead on mine, stroking my cheek as he stared into my eyes with such love, it set my heart pounding. "'It's not simply what I owe you as a man loyal to Fairy Tail, it's what I owe you as a man. Erza," he said, looking intensely into my eyes, "You own my heart. My life, and all I have in it. You have captured me, like no one else. My hours are spent absorbed in thoughts of you, dreams of you. I can't imagine a life without you in it. Might I dare believe that you would leave Bellum for good? To remain here in Fairy Tail, with me?"

My heart pounded so hard I swear it was gonna break my ribs. For a moment I was filled with excitement and happiness but then my mind started working. Would his father approve of this? When there was not a single thing to gain from it? Unlikely. The only thing we had going for us was that his father seemed pretty out of it since Simons asthma attack- I doubt he's even fully absorbed the victory over Phantom Lord- but if he comes to his senses, this news of Jellal breaking his marriage to Carmen to pursue me would truly send him over the edge.

"I don't know, Jellal," I said, pulling back a little. Stick to the truth, Erza. "I can't deny that there is something here, between us." I looked at him for a long moment. "But both your family looks to you and your brothers to sustain them into the future. They rely on you. Promises between us cannot yet be made."

He frowned and looked at me as if he had not heard me right. "Are you saying… Erza, are you saying that you don't want me to break my pledge to Carmen?"

It took me a long time, but I finally found the words to say it. "Honestly, no. I want you to break your pledge, but I cannot ask it of you. You and your brothers are a future of Fairy Tail and I do not know where my sisters and I belong, here or Bellum."

"Here," he said, squeezing my hands, "you belong here."

I shook my head miserably. "I don't know that. I wish I did. But I don't. We have so many things tying us to Bellum, it's all so different here in ways I can't even explain."

The sad look that settled in his eyes made my heart wrench painfully in my chest. "How can I prove it to you that you belong here?"

"It's not up to you, Jellal," I said, reaching up to cradle his cheek this time. "I understand your feelings for me, I have them too, but I need to know if what we are doing is right or not. I need more time."

"We have no more time," he said in desperation. "She arrives tomorrow."

"Then you must carry on as before," I said. "For the sake of your family, for the sake of Fairy Tail." I shook my head. "I can't break such a union. Not yet."

"Not yet?" he asked, broken hopefulness in his voice.

"Not yet," I said.


	21. Chapter 21

**Juvia POV**

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!?" I sobbed hysterically after Erza told me what happened. Lucy and Levy had left the room to go get me some more water. Erza walked over to the window and leaned on the frame while staring out.

"I thought it was the good thing, the right thing to do."

I stopped sobbing and pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. "You do realize that you asked him to continue his marriage with a spoiled girl that has no problem setting other people in danger, just to save her reputation?"

Erza stayed silent.

I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

" _Unbelievable_! The one time our mighty Titania actually likes a guy that likes her back she goes and tells him to marry another girl- don't look at Juvia like that! Juvia knows it wasn't like that but that's basically what you did!" I wail while pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"What's all the yelling about?" Levy asks as she opened the door for Lucy who was holding a pitcher of water.

They looked from Erza, to me, then back to Erza with confused expressions. Trying to avoid their gaze Erza turns to look out the window, but she immediately pales and steps back from the window, as if trying to hide. Frowning, Lucy puts the pitcher of water down and approaches the window with Levy. They gasp when they see Jellal with Carmen together.

"Is that her?!" Lucy shrieks as they lean out of the window a bit to get a better look at her. "Well, she's not ugly…"

Juvia snorts. "You'll think otherwise when you actually meet her." she mumbles.

Lucy and Levy frown as they glance from me, to the window, then back to Erza. Their eyes widen when they piece together what happened. They stay silent for a few moments before Lucy speaks up.

"All right, I think I'm ready. How bad is it?"

Erza look avoids eye contact and takes her time to answer. "Bad."

She closed her eyes as if pained, and Levy shook her head in disbelief. "No," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, I can't believe it. I thought it was a crush! You never said you were in love!"

Erza blushed heavily and mumbled "I wouldn't go as far as to call it love-" but Levy interrupted.

"We should go, now," she said, leaning toward me.

"Go?" I said, gaping at her. I hadn't even been out of bed for more than twenty minutes and now she wanted me to make the journey to the tombs, more than a mile away? And under what pretense? By the looks of it, all of Fairy Tail and the town were coming to see us. What were we gonna do? Ride by them all, with a smile and a cheerful wave?

' _Hey there, how are ya? We're the She-Wolves of Bellum, just on our way back back in time to the place we came from… don't mind us!'_

"We knew you had feelings for him," Levy said, one hand out. "But we didn't know you had feeling-feelings for him."

"Is there a difference?" I asked tiredly.

"I guess not," she said, plopping down beside me on the bed. "I didn't know," she said, talking to herself so lowly I almost missed it. "I mean we knew, but I didn't know."

I leaned back against the headboard and willed myself to find the strength for what was ahead. More people were already arriving. The castle would be filled, every room of it. Additional tents had been pitched outside, more than a hundred, Mira said, to house the others.

"Let's go, guys." Lucy said, wringing her hands in nervousness. "Before this all gets much worse. While we still can. We'll find a couple of horses, and we'll get out of here, back to our time. We'll be able to get Juvia to a hospital!"

"No."

Erza looked at me in surprise. I looked past her, to Jellal. Carmen had gone inside, but he was looking across the courtyard up at her, a curious, daring look in his eye.

"Please, I need you to give this a chance." I pleaded with them. "To explore it with us. Please. Don't rush Juvia. Juvia is afraid to leave. Because of her wound. Because of Erza. Juvia is afraid that if we leave, so much will be lost."

Their brown eyes stared into mine for a long time.

"How long?" they asked at last.

"Through the feast," I said. "Juvia thinks that by then, you can pull out her stitches and we can make it to the tombs."

"Why through the feast?" Lucy pressed. She stepped closer. "Why not now?"

My eyes trailed from her to Erza, who was staring down at the courtyard again. Jellal was no longer there. "Maybe not all the way through the feast," I whispered. "Juvia just knows that today is not the day. All right?"

"All right," they whispered after a moment, fighting back a slight smile as they lean on me a bit. Given how close we where we'd have no problem pulling off the whole sister story.

We hid away that afternoon in the bedroom, skipping lunch, talking and playing with each other's hair. It would have been a great slumber party had it not been for the fact that by the evening, a good third of the guests had arrived, all wanting to meet the ladies of Bellum, the warriors, the "she-wolves," Fairy Tail's "saviors," and we were roused.

Fairy Tail didn't seem to be able to tell them no. We weren't able to tell them no. So we walked across the courtyard and into the Great Hall. When we entered, the entire room rose. I mean, every one of them came to their feet. And the place was packed. They cheered, clapped, smiled. Levy, Erza, And Lucy were doing a great job at being gracious and smiling, but I'm pretty sure I looked awkward as heck. Erza was doing a good job at not looking in Jellal and Carmen's direction so I let my eyes wander around and accidentally met Ava's gaze. Carmen had no doubt told her about the whole 'getting sent away because my sister was attracted to her man' story and was probably gonna keep an even closer eye on me just in case I tried going after her guy.

' _Well, she needn't worry. Unlike Erza, Juvia was never a threat to their relationship.'_

Erza and I groaned softly when we realized they both Carmen and Ava were headed our way. I pause to gather myself, and force a smile to my lips. "Ava, Carmen," I said, as kindly as I could.

"We are indebted to you and your sisters, as is all of the town."

Erza shook my head. "We did only what we could. I'm sure you would've done the same, in the moment."

It was Carmen shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, raising one brow and smiling. "You and your sisters are indeed uncommon."

We made the introductions then, between them and our 'sisters'. To their credit, Lucy and Levy managed to hold their own, smiling sweetly and nodding with respect.

"We'll be leaving as soon as we can, Ava," I said. If we wanted to get away without arousing suspicion I was gonna need to get this girl and her friend off mine and Erza's back. "Juvia only needs a few more days to heal, and then Juvia thinks she can endure the ride back to Bellum."

She nodded, staring ahead, as if weighing my words, deciding if she believed them. "We heard you were most severely injured."

"Yes," I said with a nod, unconsciously placing a hand over the lower right side of my stomach.

"Juvia, Erza, my father believes he has a credible witness-that a close relative of yours is known to have been in the south-western part of Caellum." Carmen suddenly said.

We froze and tried to keep our faces devoid of any emotion. Relatives, here? Clearly the girl did not get the hint that we were orphans raised by a guardian who disappeared years ago. I tried to pull up the map that had been up on the tomb wall the last time I was there. If I recall correctly we'd have to take a ship to get to Caellum and the portion she speaks of is the farthest away from Fiore. No, it was more likely that they want to get us out of the way as soon as possible.

"Truly?" I said, with fake hope glancing at the other sharply to play along. "Oh, It must be uncle Gildarts! He's an old family friend! This is good news. We'd be off today if it weren't for Juvia's wound." I gestured down to my side.

"No," she said, "You mustn't endanger yourself. You have already suffered much. But my father has already sent four men on the journey there. They should return soon with news."

"That is more than kind," Erza said. "You don't know what it would mean, to be reunited." We stared at them, hard. "And then we can be off. Back to Bellum."

Their eyes studied ours, and finding some sort of confidence there, they reached over and squeezed our hands. "I bid you goodnight, Miss Lockser and Miss Scarlet. I'm sure you're very tired."

' _You have no idea.'_

"Yes, and we should be getting back to our fiances or they'll begin to wonder where we've wandered off to." Carmen said with a soft smile.

I forced another smile and fought back the urge to strangle her for Erza sake.

"Ha! Talk about a she-wolf," Lucy said when we arrived back to the room, leaning back on the door. Levy came over to me and, seeing the exhaustion in my face, helped me lay down to check my wound.

"Those girls have their claws out. They're just hidden under gloves." Lucy glanced over at us. "You sure know how to pick'em."

"Yes," I said in irritation, tugging down my shirt when Levy gave a satisfactory nod, deeming my stitches intact. I glanced worriedly at Erza, who was standing beside the window again staring out of it. She had been silent throughout our walk back to our room. She suddenly slumped against the window frame and her shoulders began to tremble.

"Erza!?" We cried out, alarmed.

"Gah! This was a bad idea! I knew you shouldn't have come and seen Jellal and that girl togeth-" Levy stopped talking when she approached Erza close enough to realize that Erza wasn't crying, she was laughing!

"What the hell!?" Lucy yelled, even more freaked out than before. "That's it! She officially lost it. Titania has officially snapped. All hope is lost."

Erza couldn't even breathe from how hard she was laughing, but she managed to form a sentence in between gasps of air. "...UN..CLE…..GI...LD….A-ART..SSSS AHAHAHAHAHA."

I frowned in confusion before it clicked in my brain and my face burned a bright red. "D-don't judge me! It was the first thing that came to mind!" I sputtered, shaking arms up and down when Levy and Lucy joined in on the laughter. They didn't calm down for another ten minutes. I was pouting and staring at the wall in annoyance, even though I was fighting back a smile myself.

"So," Levy said breathlessly. "She says our 'relative' has been seen. In Caelum."

I shook my head. "They really want us gone, out from between them and their guys."

Lucy grunted. "Clever."

"Clever doesn't begin to cover it," Erza said.

Gently, I eased myself down again to my good side and lay down as Lucy pulls the covers over me. "These people have been planning on this union since Jellal and his brothers were children."

"Seriously?" Levy asked with raised brows.

"Seriously."

Erza looked at me and asked me a silent question. I frowned and gave her a look and she nodded. I sighed and looked away, but nodded nonetheless.

"In two days we'll go home."

Lucy and Levy looked up at us in alarm. "But Juvia said-"

"Forget what Juvia said." I interrupted. "Tomorrow, you pull the stitches from Juvia's side and we'll be on our way the following day."

Levy's eyes became as cloudy as she shook her head. "I don't think I can pull them out," she said forlornly.

"Then I'll get Gajeel or Simon or someone else," I said with a sigh. "But we're going home soon."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: You guys, there's literally only like 3 or 4 chapters left in this story!!!**

 **Juvia POV**

I knew if I didn't do it right away, I'd never be able to endure it later. The stitches had to be out and the bleeding had to be stopped before we went home. There would be no explaining them back in our own dimension so as soon as we woke up the next morning I said, "We need to do it now."

Levy paced for a few moments then turned and stared at me, looking like she was about to cry. "I can't do it. I can't. It's one thing to operate on you when you're almost dead." She shook her head once, "Another to do it when you're ... well, alive."

But I really wasn't listening and continued rambling. "Bring Mira's sharpest knife; we'll put it in the fire. You might need to cauterize the wound."

"Cauterize?" Lucy asked.

I groaned. "Burn Juvia! If Juvia starts bleeding. It's the fastest way."

Both Lucy and Levy blanched and shook their heads.

"If you want to go home-"

"We do, Juvia. You know we do." Erza said softly. " But we can't do it, Juvia. We can't bear the idea of bringing you more pain."

I blinked at them, slightly exasperated. "Go. Go get Simon. Or Gajeel or Natsu, if you can find them. But not Gray or Jellal." We definitely needed to steer clear of them as much as possible. Being with Gray only made me feel... confused.

Levy and Lucy nodded and were out the door in seconds. Erza approached me and lifted my shirt a bit to see the wound. It was still swollen and red and angry, barely knit together again, yet the skin was growing around each strand. Already, I knew the pain ahead might be enough to knock me out. Given by the flash of fear that passed through her eyes, she knew it too.

A few minutes later, I saw the latch move on the door and Levy and Lucy stepped inside, but they weren't alone. Sheepishly, they looked over their shoulders and raised their eyebrows.

Gray and Jellal.

They strode in, staying on the edge of the room, far from us. "Erza, your sisters have told me troubling news," Jellal said with a frown.

"Oh?" Erza asked lightly whilst I shot Levy and Lucy an arrow glance.

"They're saying you want to remove your bindings today." Gray was staring hard at me as he said this, like he was trying to figure out what I was hiding.

Jellal was pacing in the room. "Shouldn't we wait another day? We've sent for one of the best physicians in Fiore, he will see to your care."

"No. Juvia believes they must come out today. To wait another day will only bring Juvia an more pain."

He frowned. "Are you certain?"

I could understand why Jellal didn't want us to do it yet. Aside from the fact that it would be extremely painful and perhaps a bit dangerous, but now that we were reunited, my wound was really the only thing keeping us- AKA Erza- here.

Gray hesitated, running a hand through his hair and then gesturing toward me. "I've seen my share of such gashes. Can I see your wound?"

Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that. I glanced at Erza, then back at him.

"A-all right," I stuttered, lifting up my shirt to my ribs, leaving my side exposed. To Jellal's credit, he moved without hesitation to my side, looking at my wound with all the detachment of an ER doctor on a TV show. Gray seemed to have trouble swallowing for a moment before he too approached.

"You see?" I asked.

"It could be another day or two," Jellal said. "Wait until after the feast. The skin is not yet fused-"

"Juvia wants them out," I said lowly, inviting no argument. "To spend the next few days, thinking about it..." And I had to be able to move immediately, to the tomb, if we had to.

"Let me send a messenger to tell the physician that it's urgent. He can be here tonight." Gajeel rumbled from the doorway.

"No," I said, shaking my head. I looked at him with pleading eyes "Take them out yourself. Fast. You can do it. You have a steady hand."

Gajeel's eyes widened then he thinned his lips in a small line. "Sorry, but I can't," he said, "I can't do that- bring a friend pain."

"Then bring Juvia a knife, and she'll do it herself."

Gray sighed heavily as he stared at me. "No. You will wait for the physician."

I glanced up to the ceiling and sighed. "Fetch Simon," I said to Lucy. She turned and left the room immediately, probably glad to escape the tension in the room.

Gray looked at me, hard, then. "He won't do this for you."

"Yes, he will. After everything Juvia has done for him, he will do this for Juvia." I replied without meeting his gaze.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" he cried, flinging out his hands toward me. "What's the matter with you? Why does it need to be done now?"

"The feast is practically here and where will your sister be? In here, in agonizing pain!" Jellal added, staring at Erza as if willing her to have a say in this, but not even Erza would change my mind. I was determined to have these stitches out here and now.

"I trust Juvia," Erza said, rubbing her arm and looking away from him. "She knows it is time."

It'd be good if I couldn't go to the feast tonight. I'd have a legitimate excuse.

He paced, beginning to speak, thinking better of it and stopping, time and time again.

Soon, thankfully, Simon arrived.

"Simon," I said, waiting until he dragged his eyes to meet mine, carefully hopping over my exposed skin. "Juvia needs you to remove her stitches."

He frowned. "The physician-"

"Will not arrive until tomorrow. Juvia needs them out now."

He swallowed visibly, and then looked into my eyes.

"I'll do it," he said and I almost cried in gratitude. He moved to the pail and the knife Levy had brought earlier form Mira's kitchen, then to our tiny fire to place the blade in the coals.

"Simon!" Jella and Gray barked.

But Simon shook his head at his cousins. "She knows what she needs."

Gray paced twice more, then reached for a small flask on the table, uncorked it, and brought it over to me. "Take a long drink of this," he said, begging me with his big, dark eyes. I turned obediently and took a look swig, then another, ignoring how the liquid burned all the way down my throat and inside my gut. He took the bottle from my hand and poured a liberal amount on my wound, making me gasp for breath at the sting and burn. He then grabbed a nearby chair and scooted it as close to the bed as possible, clasping my hand in a vise grip.

"Clip each loop," Gray said to his cousin. "Then move quickly, pulling the threads out. That will be the worst part."

He spoke as if he had gone through this before. My heart pounded in my chest from fear as I unconsciously squeezed his hand. Where were his wounds? Evidence of his own stitches, long removed and healed. On his back? Thoughts of scars, purple and healed, gave me a strange comfort. If he could do it, so could I.

I winced when Simon cut the first loop. There were about eighteen, in total. Staring into Gray's steady gaze I found strength in them. He stared back at me, it took me a moment but I saw a tiny bit of fear in the depths of his eyes. I tried to give him a reassuring smile just as Simon paused.

"Fast," I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut. "Simon, don't stop, no matter what happens. Just get them out." I turned and eyed him. "Understood?"

He swallowed and nodded once. I turned away and saw that Natsu had arrived. Lucy and Levy brought their fists to their mouths, staring at me in fear. Both Gajeel and Natsu reached out for them respectively, and in spite of their hesitations, they turned into their chests, clearly wishing not to see what would come next. To my surprise, Gajeel wrapped a hand around Levy's heads and stared hard in my direction. Natsu was just stroking Lucy's locks and whispering in her ear. Even Jellal had already gathered Erza up in his arms, soothing her. Had I not been so terrified I would have squealed.

"Do it," I said to Simon, shifting my gaze to the ceiling while tightening my grip on Gray's hand.

I was able to hold my tongue through the first four. He moved so fast my mind barely had time to capture what was bringing me the searing pain, but then my brain caught up. I gasped loudly when he clipped the fifth and sixth loop and started to whine with the eighth.

"Juvia, Juvia, Look at me."

Gray gently turned my head to look at him. He had such a pained expression on his face it both confused and broke my heart. Trembling, I raise my free hand to cup the hand he had on my cheek and stared into his eyes and, for a selfish moment, I imagined it was just us, that he was genuinely worried and cared for me as I did him, and that he returned my feelings...

But the searing pain grounded me again and I shut my eyes and screamed when he clipped the eleventh loop, biting into my blanket to muffle the noise. I was no longer able to be the strong heroine. It was about the fifteenth loop that I passed out instead of throwing up, giving in to the blessed, black tunnel that closed in around me.

 **Erza POV**

Tears streaked down my cheeks when Simon finally finished. Juvia's screams tore me apart but I didn't leave the room. She woke up a few moments after they finished cauterizing her. Thank goodness she was out for that, I wouldn't be able to handle any more of her tormented screams. She opened her eyes, probably fearful that she'd be alone, but Gray was still beside her, still holding her hand, still staring at her. I hadn't realized how tense he was until he visibly relaxed when Juvia opened her eyes

"Tha-nk you," She mumbled. Everyone seemed to take a collective breath when they heard her speak.

"The castle is in an uproar," Gajeel said lowly, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"They heard Juvia screaming?" I asked tiredly, trying to step out of Jellals arms. Jellal tightened his grip on me for a moment before releasing me.

"You need to go," I said to Jellal and Gray. "They'll want to know what happened."

"Ca-ell-um" Juvia breathed, wincing a bit.

"What?" Grat furrowed his brow and leaned closer to her.

"T-tell th-them w-we'll be off s-soon. T-to Caell-um."

"Caellum?" Gray asked, frowning while looking from Juvia to me as if expecting an explanation.

"They'll know what we mean," I said.

Jellal panicked. "You can't go to Caellum. That's deep past Fiore lands and-"

"And we won't really go there. Just tell Carmen and Ava that, all right? Trust us." I interrupted, raising my hands as a sign of him to calm down.

"But you are not leaving now, right?" Gray asked, staring at Juvia. "Not for days, yet. You need to stay still. Let your skin to heal."

I dragged my hand down my face. "I know, now go. Go and see to your guests. Leave us to Juvia."

"Are you certain?" Jellal asked.

"Yes."

Thankfully, Juvia slept the whole day and through the night, waking only a couple of times when she dared to move. In those instances, her eyes shot open, and she gasped loudly in pain.

"Juvia is fine." She waved us away when we jumped out of our seats to help her. "Juvia is slowly getting better, but Juvia does think she still needs to see a physician before we leave."

Levy frowned. "When did they say the physician was going to arrive?"

"Later today I think," I said with a sigh, running a hand down my face tiredly.

"In that case, Juvia might be able to pull off the ride to the tomb tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow... Oh my gosh, Tomorrow!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed, slapping her hand over her forehead as if she just remembered something important. She turns and stares at us with wide eyes. "The feast ends tomorrow!"

"Yeah, so?" Juvia asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Don't you remember?! The games!"

The ga- Oh!

"Argh!" I pulled my hair in frustration. How could I have forgotten the games?! It was literally the talk of Fairy Tail, the one thing many were looking forward to after the feast.

"B-but Juvia injury is still tender..." Juvia feebly tried to argue.

"Uh-uh there's no way they're going to let you get out of this, Juvs, even if you have to be carried in on your bed," Lucy said.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Juvia groaned. I was hoping that pulling the stitches would keep us out of the mix. Or at the very least Juvia and I.

"Why can't they just use this excuse? Leave us here?" I complained while pacing back and forth in the room. Didn't Jellal understand that the less we were together, the better.

"They're not going to let us out of here without them," Levy said.

I closed my eyes, thinking of the pain of saying goodbye to him, to all of them, as well as the pain of lying to him any longer. There was just no good way out. No simple way out.

"We gotta go home, you guys. And soon. It's only a matter of time before people start finding holes in our story and we might go from being the belles of the ball to the bombs." Lucy said.

Levy nodded. "You should see them! Most of them look at us like we're famous celebrities and there are some that look at us suspiciously. Like they want to take us down. Like that Carmen girl. She has some serious issues." Levy mumbled that last part.

"I know, I know. Just give me some time to think..." I muttered while sitting down on a nearby chair.

A knock sounded at the door and Jellal entered, Simon beside him.

"The physician is here," he said. Juvia smiled weakly at him in gratitude. Jellal stood sideways to allow a tall, tan man to enter.

"Dr. Erik, this is Juvia Lockser, Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, and Levy McGarden." Simon motioned towards each of us as he said our names.

The man nodded, but said nothing, just strode over to Juvia. He peered at her with narrowed eyes as if he couldn't see properly. "Show me your wound."

Slowly, Juvia lifted her shirt to expose her side.

He lifted his head and looked at Levy. "You stitched her back together?"

"I did," Levy squeaked.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

What? Women aren't even allowed to be doctors?!

She mumbled something about watching a doctor in our own land do the same, and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded. He stood again, this time moving to the head of the bed to examine Juvia's eyes, tongue, and then the beds of her fingernails. Juvia shot me a questioning look over his shoulder and I shrugged. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he asked for a urine sample.

"You're doing better than I expected," he said at last. "I'll leave you a bottle of tonic, which should ease the pain a bit." He bent and pulled a clay bottle from his bag. "Take a mouthful now."

"What is in it?" I immediately asked.

The little doctor frowned and looked back at Simon.

"Erza, this man is one of the best physicians in all of the town," Simon said, trying to reassure me. "He tends Carmen's own family whenever they get sick."

Juvia flashed me a reassuring smile as she reached for the bottle and took a sip. Her face crumpled at the taste but she swallowed it nonetheless. The doctor nodded and went back to his bag and rifled through twenty ton of parchment packets, pulling one out. He carefully unfolded the parchment and took a pinch of the powder.

"This may hurt a bit, but it will guard against infection."

"What is that?" Levy blurted out before I could.

His small eyes narrowed in her direction. It's not that we didn't believe he was the best in town, I'm sure Gray and Jellal kept their word about that, but we were in an entirely different dimension and lord knows how advanced their medicine was in this place.

"They have some knowledge in medicine," Jellal intercedes for us.

The doctor sniffed. "It is my own blend of powders, a secret recipe," he said.

I studied him. "All right," I said.

Juvia braced herself for pain, but when he sprinkled it on her wound her eyes widened.

"It- The pain is gone!" Juvia said in awe.

My eyes widened. "Seriously? That fast?"

"Yes, but Juvia can't feel anything around her stomach area." She said with a frown.

That was a little disconcerting. But mostly, it was a relief that Juvia was no longer in pain.

"I'm curious Dr. Erik, what is in that tonic?" Levy asked again, studying his facial expressions carefully.

"I cannot tell," he said with a grin. "You don't become the best physician in town by sharing all your secrets, right?" He placed his envelope back in his bag and then looked at Juvia. "It is easing your pain?"

"Juvia supposes."

He smiled an eensy smile, just a half-second of a tiny upturning of his thin lips. "I'll return this evening to apply more medicine to your wound."

"Thank you," I said, watching him scurry past Jellal and out the door.

Simon looked at Juvia with a grin. "My cousins and I would be in your debt if you would allow us to bring you out to the games. The people-" He paused to look over his shoulder, as if he could see through the stones-"they won't leave until they see all of you. Especially Juvia, there is much concern over the wounded she-wolf"

"J-juvia does not know if she'll be able to handle it," Juvia said while fiddling with her thumbs.

He took a step into the room, lifting a hand as if beseeching her. "We'll carry you in on a settee!"

I lifted a brow. "That would be quite dramatic."

"Your sisters have already agreed to give a demonstration of their archery skills," he said, looking to Lucy and Levy.

"We hardly had a choice!" Lucy said, raising her hands.

"Nope," Simon said with a smile. "I think it will be the most interesting part of the games. Everyone is dying to beat them."

Juvia and I smiled then, too. "Juvia must attend, then. But only if she and Erza wager a small fortune before the event takes place."

Jellal smiled "You'll have a hard time finding takers. Most want to place their hopes on your sisters' shoulders."

"Except one," Levy said, meeting his eyes.

"Pay Bora no mind," Simon said with a wave of his hand. "He's been the champion when it comes to archery. He needs to learn how to be a good sport when faced with a more skilled challenger."

Juvia and I looked over to Levy and Lucy's direction. They were nervous.

Bora. The creepy, tall guy who hung out with Carmen and her entourage.

"Don't worry! Your days of fear are over. There are only friends among us. Loyal town folks."

We glanced at each other again. We clearly didn't agree with him.

"You will attend?" Jellal asked, his eyes shifting between Juvia and I. Simon looked so hopeful and excited that I felt powerless to say anything but yes.

Light filled his eyes and smiled widely. "Mira will come for you in an hour. There will be shade, and if you feel faint, just lift this," he said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, "and you'll be returned to your room immediately."

Juvia nodded as he handed her the handkerchief.

"Well, we need to get going there is still a lot of preparations to tend to," Simon said with extra vigor now that he had our assurance that we were attending and with that he and Jellal exited the room.

 **Juvia POV**

"Oh, my..." Levy whispered as we looked at the full-length body mirror after in front of us. We spent three long and tedious hours doing each other's hair and putting on our gorgeous gowns on, and let me tell you, it was worth it.

"Man, you guys, we're...gorgeous." Erza breathed while walking closer to the mirror as if she couldn't believe it.

"That's a good thing, right?" I asked while tentatively moving in my dress to see if it didn't brush against my wound. It didn't, Gray was very precise about this dress.

"Not when there are two girls out there," Lucy murmured while touching her hair, "barely able to keep themselves from clawing your eyes out."

Erza was silent for a moment before asking out of the blue. "Tell me about Bora."

Lucy and Levy shifted and fiddled their thumbs. Erza and I studied them carefully. Clearly, something had happened based on their nervous reaction

"Levy-" I began.

"We couldn't help it." Levy lifted her big, hazel eyes and stared at us pleadingly.

"What? What'd you do?"

"He was taunting us. Saying that we probably hit the knights in Phantom Lord by accident- that Levy was too short and that I was aiming in another direction."

A dark aura began radiating from Erza but she kept her cool. "And?"

"Some other guy began laughing at us and w-we started to cry-"

"It was either that or draw my arrow and split his head open, I swear," Lucy interjected in anger.

"But then Gajeel and Natsu figured out what had happened and started to get all angry and..."

"What did they do?" I asked.

Lucy and Levy blushed a bit- from embarrassment? Or something else?

"Natsu belted Bora-"

"And Gajeel decked the guy that laughed at us."

"They what?!" We shrieked, totally not in excitement for my ships, of course, that would ve totally unprofessional of me.

"And what did they do?" I asked in full gossip mode, referring to Bora and the other guy.

"Well, the guy that laughed apologized. Bora on the other hand..." Levy trailed off.

"I think Bora's a little afraid of Natsu. He pretended to go after him, but only when he was really sure that others would stop him." Lucy shook her head. "I don't like the way he looks at us. It's like he knows. Or he's trying to figure us out, figure out how he can bring us down."

"Don't let him get to you," I said.

She hesitated.

"What?" I said.

She licked her lips. "I saw him, earlier. He was whispering in Carmen's father's ear. He ate lunch beside Carmen. He's more than friends with them. He's close to them."

"Well, it makes sense," Erza said with a nod of her head. " He was here with Carmen when we first arrived, almost like a guardian or something."

"We should've just left when-"

"We're here. Juvia thinks we should see it through. Maybe with this pain medicine we'll be able to escape tonight. With all the comings and goings of the feast, we'll probably be more successful than last time."

"Last time?" Levy asked.

"Erm, We tried to escape to the tombs to find you guys but we got caught before we could even put a decent amount of distance between us and Fairy Tail."

"And they dragged you back here," Lucy said, amused.

"Well, yeah," I said, with a pout. "But anyway, you can't win today." I looked at them suddenly serious. "Let Bora win. It's not worth it, invoking his wrath."

Levy and Lucy frowned, struggling with that idea.

"B-but argh! he's such a pompous, egotistical jerk." Levy fumed while stomping her little foot.

"I agree, but it's not worth making this deal more complicated. It's already complicated enough with just us being here. Erza pointed out.

"Yeah I guess," Levy said, pretty much giving up at that point.

"Besides, this is probably a historic event anyway, right? We probably shouldn't mess with it." Lucy said.

Cause y'know, it's not like we didn't change their history with our arrival at all.


	23. Chapter 23

**Juvia POV**

A knock sounded at our door, and then a male servant peeked in. "Misses," he said. "We're here to escort you to the games."

"Come in," Erza said, waving him forward. Another came with him.

"Can you walk? Or should we carry you to your settee?"

"Let Juvia try to walk," I said, taking hold of each of their arms, but when I came to my feet, my knees crumpled beneath me and I felt a wave of nausea. From the pain? Or was it the medicine?

Luckily, the men had a firm grip on me and carried me on my bed to the hallway, with Lucy, Levy, and Erza right behind us.

"You okay?" Levy whispered to me.

"Y-yes," I said. I lifted my hand to my head. A wave of dizziness was there, then gone.

The doctor appeared then. Why hadn't I noticed him before? "Are you sure this won't exhaust you?"

I was sitting there, suspended in the air on a bed. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"Juvia doesn't think so," I managed to say.

"Well then, here is another dose of pain medicine," he said, handing me the bottle.

I gladly took a swig, ignoring the unpleasant taste, if it continued to keep that horrendous pain away, then I wasn't going to complain.

We went out to the courtyard, and I was a bit shocked at the hundreds of people that lined the edge, all sitting in chairs and beneath tented roofs, shielding themselves from the sun. Simon smiled and strode over to us, his cousins at his side, as the servants set me on a platform. I just barely kept my squeal in when I noticed the way Jellal's breath caught in his chest when Erza stepped out in all her ball gowned glory.

I caught sight of his father, beside him sat Carmen's and Ava's father followed by Carmen and Ava themselves. I didn't dare look to see where Gray was.

Simon turned toward us and urged us to him so that two of us were on each of his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," called Simon. "I present at last, the warriors that turned the tide for Fairytail, the she-wolves."

I had expected a cheer, applause, shouting. But what happened next was something I'd never forget.

Every man, woman, and child stood, and as one they bowed or curtsied, as if we were royalty before them. Just like in Mulan. It was deathly quiet, and in the hush, a wave of honor swept over me. I was overwhelmed. I glanced at Lucy and Levy, who looked like they were about to cry, lifting a hand to their lips.

"Fairy Tail is forever in your debt." Makarov said. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it, ask it of us and it will be yours."

"Thank you." Erza said after a moment. "We did only what anyone else in Fairy Tail would have done, had they been in our places. And we would do it again, for Fairy Tail."

He smiled and raised a goblet in the air. "Well said. With that, I declare these games officially begun." And then he rammed the goblet down, and it shattered into a thousand pieces across the cobblestones.

The crowd cheered and returned to their seats as the jousting line was erected.

We watched through twelve grueling rounds of jousting, wincing whenever the lance struck a man. As hardcore as we were, there was something about trying to pierce a man on a horse with a long lance that was a bit... unnerving. Several men somersaulted over the backs of their horses, sending the crowd into a riot of laughter and shouts.

But then Gray entered the courtyard on his steed. He rode over to Ava, and she rose and prettily handed him her hand, which he took and kissed. Gray never so much as glanced in my direction, which was a good thing because if he had he would have seen me hunched over, breathing heavily, and with my shoulders shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry, Juvia," Lucy whispered urgently, laying her hand gently on my arm. "But you need to pull yourself toge-" Lucy frowned when she was that Erza was also hunched over with her shoulders shaking. She shot a questioning glance to Levy, who looked as confused as she was.

"Are...are you laughing?!" They whisper-screech after they lean closer to us.

I fight back more giggles as I weakly shake my head in denial while wiping the tears from my face. "N-no," I clear my throat along with Erza.

"Of course not." Erza said after a moment when we finally regained control of ourselves. For about five seconds that is. All it took was my snort to send us into another fit of giggles.

"Okay, so Juvia and Erza are officially broken..." Lucy muttered while sweat dropping.

"I knew we shouldn't have stayed here so long." Levy muttered.

"N-no," I said, waving my hands as if to calm them down. "It's just that they always have these little corny chivalry moments that remind us of those ridiculous shows and movies you make us watch."

"We honestly didn't think they actually did things like that." Erza finished for me, still catching her breath. I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing again. Levy sighed and excused herself to go to the bathroom and Erza accompanied her. Ever since the Bora incident she didn't want neither Levy or Lucy alone at any time while he was near.

Coughing, I adjust myself on my seat, wincing a bit from my wound, just as Gray was lowering his helmet. Was it my imagination or did I just see his eyes slide over to me for but a half second? No, impossible. I really need to stop imagining these things. We're about to leave after all.

His eyes were set dead ahead then, studying no one else but his opponent.

"Tell me when it is over," I whispered to Lucy, feeling another wave of nausea. The flag came down, the riders urged their horses into a gallop, and I closed my eyes.

I heard the pounding of hooves and then, impact. The crowd cheered. I peeked up and took half a breath when I saw Gray still on his horse. He was looking at Ava, and I looked there too. But she was staring at me, eyes wide and then narrowing in suspicion. Wah! Oh, nonono now she suspects! I looked over to Lucy.

"A cup of water," I whispered, lifting a hand to my head as another wave of dizziness passed through me.

She rose and then hesitated.

I blinked and dragged my eyes to look where she was looking. To my great surprise, Gray was there in front of me, still on his horse, helmet off, hair blowing about in the breeze.

"Juvia, are your alright?" he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Fighting back a blush, I smile weakly and say, " Fine, I'm fine."

He frowned and opened his mouth, but luckily the archery round was announced at that moment.

"Raise the handkerchief if you need to leave," Gray said, repeating our earlier agreement, then trotted off to the end of the courtyard.

Lucy was there then with my wate and I drank, glad to have something to do. I felt the heavy gaze of the crowd on me, assessing, wondering. Gray had paid homage to his bride-to-be, but in the end, as victor, it was me he had gone to. I silently cursed Gray for doing this to me. For confusing me. I cursed my sick stomach. If only I'd kept calm, had not shifted, I might not have caught his eye...

"Lucy, could you bring Juvia some bread?" I whispered.

"I'll send some back," she whispered, looking at me meaningfully. "I'm on deck."

I followed her glance to the ring, where ten targets were set up. When Lucy and Levy rose, the crowd went berserk, cheering, beside themselves to see her in action. Bora rose from Carmen's side, bent, whispered something in her ear, then left her. In the gap he left, I spotted the doctor, but when I caught his eye, he moved away, as if not wishing to be seen. I frowned, puzzling over that.

Such an odd guy.

"Are you worried for your sister?" Natsu asked, sitting beside me. He handed me a plate of bread, cheese, and grapes. "She sent you this."

"You are her servant now?" I asked wryly.

"In every way." He grinned. "She has captured my heart and now she'll capture everyone else's too. I'll have no hope to compete for her. Here, hold my hand," he said, reaching for my right. "Maybe it'll make her jealous."

I couldn't help but laugh. He was so melodramatic. And totally charming. I couldn't believe Lucy hadn't fallen for him, too. She usually liked the guys who made her laugh.

But then we'd both be torn. I watched as Gray took his seat beside Ava again, covering her hand with his. I slowly ate a piece of bread, forcing myself to chew and swallow. The medicine was probably hard on my tummy. If I had taken it in modern times, it'd probably come with the take-it-with-food warning.

The targets were set out, and when Lucy and Levy reached for an arrow in the quiver on their backs, the crowd went nuts again. I smiled as they drew their arrows, pulled, and let them fly at the master's count. Everyones struck within the first two rings of their targets, but my theirs hit dead center. The crowd applauded, and the archers counted out ten more paces, and again let arrows fly. All again were within the first two rings of the center.

Erza returned just when I saw Bora lean over and say something to Lucy. She paused, and I felt Natsu's hand tighten over mine. Then Bora turned and smirked in our direction. The skin beneath one eye was slightly purple where Natsu had decked him.

"Calm down, Natsu," I cautioned, holding on to him.

Erza nodded in agreement "She'll see this through to the end."

He said nothing, which was so uncharacteristic of him that I worried over it. I hoped Bora wouldn't dare to say anything more to Lucy or- God forbid Levy. I was sure I wouldn't be able to hold Gajeel back from pounding him. Also, they'll never let him win if he continues to goad them.

The archers walked ten more paces, let arrows fly, and three of them were eliminated, trudging out of the courtyard in defeat.

With seven left, pigeons were released, all painted in colors that matched the archer's arrow tips. They had to find their targets and bring them down. Levy let one arrow fly, and it missed the bird, but she was already taking aim again and, with the second arrow, brought the creature down just before it escaped over the wall.

The crowd exploded in shouts and laughter and excitement again. Only four had managed to come this far. I wondered for a moment if the emotions of killing a bird would slow them down, but with one look at their faces, I knew we were sunk.

Erza and I groaned.

They wasn't going to let Bora win.

"What is it?" Natsu asked, leaning toward me. "They're doing as great!"

"Nothing. Never mind," I said, shaking my head. I take another bite of bread into my mouth, chewed, feeling a pang in my gut and another wave of nausea.

What would happen if one of them was the victor? Who would be the victor? Lucy and Levy have always been very competitive with each other when it came to archery. Would it make Bora more of a lethal threat to us? It was all so complicated. His relationship with the Carmen's family, their relationship with Fairy Tail...

The games master was calling out the next challenge. Men on the allures above us were carrying hay bales bound to a leather shield. They would appear in random places. The first archer to stick five of them would be declared the victor.

"No," Natsu growled. "Of all the thoughtless, crass decisions..."

I bit my lip. It was too much like Phantom Lord. Too much like that night. Would they dissolve into tears? The others drew arrows across their bows. Two looked at Levy and Lucy with concern, as if guessing at what might have given her pause. The games master shouted his count, and arrows began flying. Bora struck one, turned towards them with a smirk. They tilted their chins in defiance before he turned and fired again, hitting the second. I gripped Natsu's hand, hard again.

The crowd hushed, watching the drama play out before them like a silent movie. They kept staring at Bora, who was aiming at a third moving target, narrowly missing it. Then as if snapping out of their stupor, they suddenly sprang into action, on the move, back to back, searching, locking onto their target, drawing once, twice, thrice, hitting three targets in quick succession.

They looked like true warriors.

Men shouted. Women shrieked. But I knew they heard nothing, acting like they were back at the castle that fateful night. Bora frowned and held a hand out to her, as if complaining about their method, but they both took their fourth down before he had a chance to bring his hand back to his own bow.

There was only one target left and they both aimed for it, their arrows meeting in the center of it in a tie.

Children ran out and surrounded them, arms up, dancing. The crowd followed, lifting them onto their shoulders. Nastu and Gajeel gave a loud roar of approval.

They blinked in confusion when it was over and their concentrated expressions disappeared into an apologetic look as if to say, _'Sorry! Couldn't help it!'_

Erza sighed and I smiled.

After all, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Wait a minute- A tie?!" Lucy cried out, squinting at the final target.

"Again?!" Levy raged, crossing her arms and pouting. "And I was eager to see who the better archer was."

I could but throw my head back and laugh.


	24. Chapter 24

**Juvia POV**

The games went on for another couple of hours, but Lucy and Levy's dramatic victory was all people really talked about. The games wrapped up with a pretty speech from Simon, who honored us again for our bravery and heroism. I tried to leave afterwards, hoping to return to my room to lie down and pray this ache in my stomach would pass, maybe even get a few minutes of sleep in, but the people wouldn't hear of it. I was carried on my lounge into the Great Hall and put in the center of the room. A cup of wine was placed into my hand, and a plate of grapes set beside me. Erza, Lucy, and Levy tried their best to stay as close to me as possible, but they were constantly drawn into conversations and introductions with other people that were eager to meet the heroes of Fairy Tail.

The doctor was there then, with us.

"How is your pain, Miss?" He bent and took my wrist in his small hand, feeling for my pulse.

"Juvia no longer feels any pain from her wound," I said. I gestured for him to lean closer. "But Juvia believes that the medicine is upsetting Juvia's stomach."

He frowned and rose. "Impossible. I've never had a patient who had a reaction like that. Have you been eating?"

"A little."

"Clearly, not enough. Do you have pain now?"

"Just a bit," I said, trying to process his reaction. Why was he so defensive? Because I was younger? A woman? Questioning him?

"Take another dose now," he instructed more nicely, handing me the flask. "Another at bedtime, and so on." He reached into his bag and pulled out the small packet of powder he'd sprinkled on my wound earlier. "Tonight, before you go to bed, have your sister administer some of this, and sleep with it open, to the air."

I nodded, puzzled. It sounded as if he was leaving. Did he not intended to remain nearby? Didn't he promise that he would be available?

"I need to go. I have to visit another family not far from here." He gave me a stern look. "You will take your medications as instructed?"

"Yes," I said. A part of me was glad. He was weird. He made me nervous. Like he could hear my thoughts or something.

He waited, and I realized he wanted to see me take my next dose in front of him. Obediently, I took a swig, making it look like a bigger mouthful than it was.

Satisfied, he nodded once and moved out through the crowd. By the door, I saw him stop to speak with Bora, receive something and pocket it, then exit through the tall doors. Was this Carmen's family doing? Did they send him on to a new patient just to leave me behind?

I shook the idea out of my mind and lifted my gaze to the room.

My attention was caught by a woman in a fine tapestry gown, her hair in an elaborate headdress, as she stopped in the center of the room. The crowd took their seats, and wine was passed around. The woman folded her hands, held them slightly away from her body, and began to sing without accompaniment, perfectly on pitch.

She sang of love, loss, victory. She captured the attention of everyone in the room. When her last note rose and rose and rose, a shiver ran down my neck and I was half worried the mirrors were going to break.

I wished I could turn and see Gray, see how this singer affected him, but I couldn't. Gray, Simon, and the others were behind me, at the table with Carmen and Ava's family and the other nobles. To turn and catch his eye then would've been seen by all. Besides, he had no feelings for me. That much was obvious.

And I was with my sisters now. We have to leave soon. Every hour we stay only brings more angst.

I shifted, glad that the small dose of medicine was dulling my pain, but feeling a rolling wave of nausea came over me again. Only worse. Much, much, worse this time.

My stomach twisted in a cramp, and I gasped, bringing one hand to my belly and the other to my mouth. Luckily, everyone at that moment was rising and cheering the singer, unaware of me for but a few seconds. I pulled my legs off the lounge, looking madly for Erza, Lucy, or anyone. I had to escape the hall and get to my room.

I bent over at the next pang that pulled my stomach into a knot. My heart was racing, faster and harder than I'd ever felt before. My lips parted. If there had been any air in my lungs I might've screamed from the pain.

Mira was beside me in seconds, as was Erza. "Juvia?"

"Juvia is not well," I ground out. "More than just Juvia's wound. Juvia must return to her room-"

Another pang of pain strangled me. To my great surprise Gray appeared beside me in a blink of an eye.

"Juvia," he said lowly, on my other side.

I looked up at him, desperate, frightened.

"She's sick," Mira said. "We need to take her to her room."

"On her lounge," Gajeel said, waving several servants forward.

"No, now," I said, trying to come to my feet again. I was so afraid I was about to vomit, right there, in front of everyone, but then another stomach pain came, rolling through me, making me shudder. I reached for Erza's arm so she could help me walk but before I knew what had happened Gray leaned down and swept me into his arms, careful to keep his hand away from the wound at my side and he carried me out. The crowd dissolved into gossiping whispers behind hands, but I had no control of the situation. At the next wave of pain, I cried out, wincing and shutting my eyes, hoping it would soon be over.

Natsu appeared in front of us, holding one door open and Lucy the other. I knew they followed us across the courtyard along with Erza, Jellal, Levy, and Gajeel.

"Where is the doctor?" Jellal ground out.

"H-he le-ft," I said.

"Left? You mean he's gone?" Gray was incredulous.

I nodded.

His handsome face became stormy with anger. "He did not ask for our permission to leave yet."

"I saw him talk to Bora before he left." Levy said. "Maybe he dismissed him."

"Oh!" I cried.

Gray was practically running with me now. Before I knew it, I was back in my room, in my bed, but I couldn't stay still. I was writhing in pain.

"It is the medicine," I said, trembling and with tears streaming down my cheeks. "Juvia tried to tell the doctor it was helping with the pain but it was making Juvia nauseous…."

Natsu tilted his head at Mira, and she turned to wave a servant over. When he bent to speak with her, she whispered in his ear, and he was off.

Levy came to my side and took my hand in both of hers. "What can I do?"

"I don't know," I said, breathing heavily, embarrassed, but helpless against the pain inside me.

"You have to remain still, Juvia. Your wound-"

"I know," I said, shaking and crying more, trying to be rigid and stiff. She was worried I'd rip my tender wound open. I was worried about it too, but it just hurt so much.

But my bigger concern was that something much worse was transpiring inside. An infection? A reaction to the medicine?

Mira and Lucy were apparently thinking the same thing because they pushed the men out the door, helped me out of my gown and into my original clothing, then gently eased me to lay on my back so they could look at the scar. I glanced down, thinking the wound would be completely open, oozing with an infection, but it looked just like it had this morning, except for a tiny tear in the center, where my movements had pulled it open.

"Maybe it's inside," I said to Levy, then grunted through another wave of pain. They were getting stronger. "An infection. Deep down."

The frantic pace of my heart was scaring me more now. I couldn't get it to calm down. It was pounding so hard I thought the others could really heat it beating against my ribs.

The men burst through the door, my medicine flask in hand. Gray's face was white.

"She's been poisoned," Gajeel said lowly to us.

Gray stared at me for a long moment, and for the first time ever, I saw a helpless expression on his face.

"What? Poison? What- what is it?" I asked.

"Arsenic. Cloaked inside something else, we think," Jellal said. He came and knelt beside my bed. "We will hunt him down, Juvia. He will pay for these crimes after he tells me who paid him to do such a horrible thing."

He was making me a deathbed promise. Giving me something to cling to as I died.

Erza looked more scared and panicked than I had ever seen in my life. "There is no antidote?"

His eyes grew even more forlorn. He shook his head, looking down in sorrow.

I looked over my shoulder to Levy. There had to be an antidote. There just had to.

Levy's eyes were filled with tears as she shook her head and whispered. "Not here."

I immediately understood. There was an antidote, yes, but not in this era. We had to get out of here. Back to our own time. Immediately. It was the only thing that could save me.

"We need to speak to you in private," Lucy said to Jellal, reading my mind.

"I am not leaving her," Gray said, staring at me.

"Then have them leave," Erza managed to said, referring to the servants.

Jellal studied us, then raised his hand, clearing the room of servants. Mira was last to go, reluctantly closing the door behind her. Gajeel and Natsu remained.

"What do you need to tell us," Gray said, pulling his eyes from me for a second to look Lucy in the eye.

Lucy motioned for them to come closer. They came around the bed and leaned forward.

"What I am going to tell you will be difficult to understand. We don't even understand it ourselves." Lucy spoke fast, choosing her words carefully.

I cried out, wondering if this was what it felt like to have a baby. Labor pains. My insides tearing. Was I already bleeding inside?

"Three weeks ago they came to you, through the tomb." Lucy pointed at Erza and I.

"Yes, Yes, we know," Jellal said. "We remember it well."

"But what you don't know," Levy said, "Is that Lucy and I came out of that same exact tomb about a week later, when Phantom Lord found us."

Their eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"We came from another time. Heck, another dimension even. We came from that place, to you, here, through the tomb. It's some sort of magic portal."

Their eyes grew large as they stared at us.

"Time magic and teleportation magic are both black magic." Gajeel said.

"Is one of you a witch?" Jellal asked, in a low voice looking from me, to Levy, to Lucy then back to me. "I know Erza isn't but-"

"No," Lucy said, calmly shaking her head. "There were four handprints on the wall and when we touched them something just happened and we appeared here."

Natsu stood there, arms folded, no trace of humor in his face.

Lucy snapped out of her calm state when I cried out with another pang.

"We need to get her home, Gray. To our own place. She is dying here." Erza said. "You said yourself there is no antidote, but there we have antidotes to nearly everything. If we can get her to the tomb in time…"

I winced, thinking of how far the archeological site was from any real sort of medical care, even in our own time. I cried out again, sounding pitiful, even to my own ears. When it was over, I gasped for breath as more tears rolled down my face.

Levy stepped forward, standing on a nearby stool in order to grab Gray's shirt with both hands and shake him. "Do you love her? Do you love her as much as the fear in your eyes reveal?" she demanded, all tough, trying to snap him out of his shock.

Gray stared at Levy in opened mouthed shock, a slight flush settling on his cheeks before his gaze shifts to stare down at me. I could feel his hot gaze but couldn't meet it. I didn't dare meet it.

Unbelievable. Here I was on the writhing in pain and on brink of death and Levy was there trying to make him confess a lie-

"Yes. God help me, _I love her_ ," he said angrily, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Then save her," she said, releasing her hold on his shirt. "Save her. Help us get her to the tomb."


	25. Chapter 25

**Erza POV**

Natsu and Gajeel went running to the stables for horses just as Mira and Simon appeared in the doorway.

"I am taking her to another doctor," Gray lied, staring into Juvia's eyes as he stroked her sweating forehead. "She's very sick."

"Let me send a messenger," Simon said. "They can bring the physician here. We'll send our fastest rider."

"No," Jellal said. "She will not survive another day. She has ingested arsenic. We must try to make it to town."

Simon and Mira both brought hands to their mouths.

"Please, return to the dining hall and spread word that everything is fine. Keep everyone calm and away from us."

"But- but Carmen," I began.

"Leave Carmen to me," Jellal ground out, pulling aside Juvia's covers, and wincing as he saw the widening pool of blood on the side of her gown. The wound had opened a full two inches and was now oozing with each twist of her body.

Jellal turned to the others. "Return to the dining hall and keep everyone inside. Distract them, no one can see us leave. If somebody wants her dead, I want them to think they succeeded so we can hunt them down."

We could hear the clatter of horses' hooves from outside, through the open doorways.

Mira bent and kissed Juvia's forehead. "Please be safe, I'll be waiting for you here when you return."

"We all will," Simon said, bending to kiss Juvia's hand, even as Gray pulled her up and into his arms.

My heart broke for them because they had no idea that this was our last goodbye.

The two turned and scurried out, shouting at servants in the corridor to follow them, return to the feast. Natsu appeared and glanced at Lucy. "You need water? Food?"

"We need nothing but to get her home," she said, striding past him, Levy hot on her heels. Gray followed them, holding Juvia hard against him. Outside, he handed Juvia to Gajeel for a moment, mounted his horse, then reached for her again. We all rode in pairs so we could sneak away more easily.

He shouted at the tower guards, and the massive gates were opened before us. Would this really be the last time we'd ever see Fairy Tail? I felt a wave of sorrow wash over me at the thought.

We tore down the path, the same path we'd taken the night of the attack on Fairy Tail, and later Phantom Lord. I could tell Gray was struggling to keep is hold on Juvia because we had to stop constantly when the pain became too much for her to bear. Gray almost dropped her due to her constant writhing.

Eventually, we were crossing the creek and climbing the winding path to the top of the hill to where it had all began, where we had first met them. Lucy and Levy were already there with Natsu and Gajeel. Natsu held a torch high, waiting by the tomb's entrance, his brow a mass of confusion, frustration, and fear. When we were close enough, Gajeel reached out for Juvia and she all but slumped down into his arms. She had tears streaming down her face from the amount of pain she was in.

Gray dismounted and followed us into the tomb's entrance, then he turned to accept Juvia's body from Gajeel.

When we reached the center, Jellal looked up at Levy, who stood near the handprints, waiting. "You just touch those, and you'll be gone? Back to where you came from?"

"I hope so," Levy said, "for her sake." Her face was a mask of sorrow and fear.

"Let me hold her," Lucy said, stepping forward with her arms out, "I don't think that you should be touching us when our hands are on the prints, you might leap through time with us."

"Maybe I should," Gray said, taking a slight step back out of Lucy's reach.

"Maybe we all should," Natsu said, stepping closer.

"No," Levy said, placing her hand on her print. "It might keep us from going. And if you were to come to our time you would be as lost as we felt here."

With hesitation, Gray reluctantly set Juvia on her feet. Lucy wrapped her arm around her waist to hold her up, her fingers from her other hand already on her print.

"Wait, if all it took was for you to touch the prints to return to your own time, why didn't you and your sisters do that as soon as you could?" Gajeel questioned.

"We had to be together," Levy said, shaking her head. "It doesn't work with just one of us."

"Also there was-" Lucy let that last part hang as she quickly glanced to me to Jellal.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I interfered. Between you and Carmen. In so many ways."

"No," he said, grasping my hands in his. "You did not interfere, Erza. I love you. You have stolen my heart," He closing my hand in a fist and covered it with his own. "You hold it now. Do you understand that?"

"I do." I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Then, if you love me, Erza," he said, his eyes mad with urgency, "as I love you, return to me."

"You can't ask that of her-" Lucy said.

"Come to me," he continued, ignoring her, never looking away from my face, "and you'll find me waiting."

I wanted to tell him there would be no return.

I wanted to tell him to go to Carmen and do what he had to do, to do what was expected of him, but all I could do was watch as he slipped the palm of my hand to the wall, directly above the print.

Juvia cried out suddenly and Lucy yelled her name in worry. That was enough to snap me back into reality and ground me enough to drag my hand to the print.

The room started stretching, spinning, yawning wide like in that funhouse mirror sort of way.

And in a breath, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and, Jellal were gone from the room, as if they had never been there at all.

* * *

I opened my eyes and stared upward, through the hole in the roof of the tomb, up and up to a blue sky. I felt no pain, and for the first time, wondered if I was dead. If this was the afterlife.

I shifted and felt the grit of sand beneath my head, pebbles digging into my back. Nope, not heaven. At least, not as I had imagined it.

"Juvia!" Levy groaned, beside me.

I turned and looked at her. She rolled to her hands and knees, then crawled over to Juvia and Lucy.

"Juvia, Juv's. Are you okay?"

Juvia had her eyes squeezed shut, but she blinked them open in wonder.

"Juvia thinks so," she said, unbuttoning her weird side slit dress from the front to reveal her pale skin- it was perfect, whole. The only proof that she had been injured at all was a large scar on her stomach.

"Come on, we still have to get you to a doctor," Lucy said. "The poison could still be-"

"No. Juvia- Juvia doesn't think so." Juvia said, pressing her hand to the scar.

"What?"

"Juvia's fine, guys. Healed. It's- it's as if it never happened." Juvia said in awe. "The tomb healed Juvia completely!"

We heard voices, a shout. Someone was coming.

"Over to the edge," I said in an urgent whisper.

We scuttled over to the side of the tomb, out from view of the passageway. Somebody paused at the entrance, shined his light in our direction and paused as if listening.

"Who is there?" A deep loud voice asked.

I covered my mouth, because I suddenly had the insane urge to giggle. Who was there? Oh, nobody but a couple of girls who just traveled through time. Don't mind us.

Juvia seized my hand and squeezed it, listening to the man begin to crawl inside, cursing a few times when he got stuck. We were going to be in so much trouble, but part of me didn't care. How could I? We'd been through so much. Compared to all of that, what was ahead? A scolding? That was nothing.

I scrambled to my feet, hands on hips, determined to meet the guard, not as a cowering victim. But as a…as a…she-wolf.

Lucy groaned and then came to her feet beside me just as the person caught sight of us, shouted in alarm, and stared into our faces. We stared right back in shock.

"Laxus?!"

"What are you doing here? How did you find this place? I've been looking everywhere for you! You're lucky Gildart's hasn't noticed you're missing! Why are you wearing armor- Is that blood?" He barked the questions, one after the other before finally noticing the blood on Juvia's dress.

"Oh, this? Juvia is fine, really. Juvia knows it looks bad. We…we just seemed to have become a little lost."

Levy coughed beside me, covering a choking laugh. I laughed then. I couldn't help it. A little lost was one vast understatement. Lucy dissolved into giggles, then, laughing so hard she was shaking and we got carried along with her. The more angry the Laxus became, shouting questions at us, the more we laughed, almost wetting-our-pants kind of laughing.

It was only when he began shaking us by the shoulders that I glimpsed the handprints and instantly sobered. Juvia noticed first.

"Erza? What's wrong?"

Laxus stops shaking us and they all look at me, confused, as I raise a shaking finger to the tomb wall. They gasp when they see it.

"Was that always there?" Juvia asked, thunderstruck.

Levy shook her head. "It wasn't, I'm certain of it!"

There.

On the wall.

Above our handprints.

There was another handprint.

With a single lightning strike etched into the palm.

 **End of Book One**

* * *


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